Justice (UNDERFELL)
by GhostGirl3000
Summary: Anna - The soul of Justice, and Frisk's sister - awakes to find Frisk missing, and finds herself in the Underground during her search. Now Anna must defend Frisk and Flowey from the countless bloodthirsty monsters, all while trying not to hurt anyone - at her companions' request. (SANS x OC involved in later chapters)
1. Prologue - Lost

Two days.

That's how long she had been gone.

Anna was worried before, but now she was going out of her damn mind.

She had spent her whole life caring for and protecting her little sister Frisk, ever since they had been orphaned. Anna Drake was just thirteen at the time, and Frisk was only two. She could have waited. Entered the system, lived her life hoping that someone would come for both of them and keep them together. But the chances of them being separated destroyed her inside. So, she packed a bag, grabbed her infant sister, and ran.

They moved a lot, mostly to remote areas to avoid being recognised by the authorities. Though Anna was now twenty-one, and more than capable of caring for ten-year-old Frisk, she would likely face abduction charges, and they would finally be torn apart.

Anna had always had this gut feeling that if she and Frisk were split, something terrible would befall the small child. Perhaps it was simply fears left over from their parent's death, she didn't know. Whatever the reason, she refused to let Frisk out of her grasps for long.

Unfortunately, it seemed that five minutes bug catching alone was enough for Frisk to wander off and lose her way.

That was two days ago.

Anna had spent these days searching the nearby area to no avail. She strayed further from their woodland cabin each time, always returning by nightfall in case Frisk had somehow returned. Or in case someone had seen her missing posters and brought her back. But nobody came.

Anna had finally cleared the woods in her search with no sign that Frisk had been through. There was only one place left to look before she would have to relent and speak with the police.

Mount Ebott.

There were rumours about that place. At least five people were sighted in the area, and went missing not long later, never to be seen again. Some said the place was cursed. Others said that a serial killer lived atop the smallest peak, stalking his victims through the lower forests.

The most ridiculous explanation, however, was that the mountain housed bloodthirsty monsters hell-bent on destroying humanity. These where children's tales, of course, but there were those who truly believed in such idiocy.

Whatever the case, Anna was determined to find Frisk. And if anyone had touched a single hair on her head, there would be hell to pay.

Bag packed with a few essentials – food, water, bandages, her cell phone, etcetera – and her pistol strapped to her waist, Anna set out.

She soon found herself at a standstill barely an eighth of the way up Mount Ebott. There were no steep cliffs or huge boulders blocking her path, there was however a simple scarf. A red scarf, with the name "Frisk" carefully stitched in pink thread on the end. It lay at the precipice of a gigantic pit, which stretched far too deep to possibly see down. Regardless, Anna found herself dropping to her knees, frantically calling down.

"Frisk! Frisk! Are you down there?! Please, show me you're alright!"

…

There was no reply, but the thought of Frisk bleeding out down there, cold, frightened and alone, made Anna nearly dive in head first after her. However, two unconscious Drake sisters would be no use to anyone.

Hastily, she fumbled through her backpack until she found the climbing rope, tying it to a nearby tree, and swiftly making her descent.


	2. Chapter 1 - Your Best Friend

Perhaps it was the shaky old tree. Perhaps it was the haphazard fashion in which she had tied the rope. Perhaps God seriously had it out for her.

Whatever the cause, Anna went from climbing to falling in a matter of seconds, hurtling towards the solid darkness below, as the rope came loose. She slammed her eyes shut, awaiting the cold embrace of the cave floor.

Her eyes reopened though when she felt her weight shift, her body slowing as it approached the ground. She quickly searched around her for a cause, but there was nothing to be found. Perhaps she would survive after all, unscathed and unharmed.

The ground finally came into view, allowing Anna to calculate that this fall was survivable, but not without great pain. Nope, God definitely had it out for her.

"Shit." She growled just in time to feel the icy stone slam against her head, knocking her unconscious.

A soft breeze blew over her face as Anna slowly felt her senses returning to her. Her eyes sloppily pulled apart as the throbbing sting of her injury reminded her of her location.

She slowly sat up, stiff and grunting from the pain as she looked around for any small sign of Frisk. She was unsure of whether she should have been pleased or concerned that she could not find one.

Clutching her aching head, she slowly lay back down, if only for a moment to rest and think of a way back out. That pit was far too tall to climb back out of, plus there was no more rope in her bag. Maybe there was another hole elsewhere that she-

"Uh… h-hello?" a quiet, unfamiliar voice squeaked out.

Anna sprung back up, searching the darkness for the source. "Hello?" She replied to the shadows, assuming that was where her partner was hidden.

"U-um… you… you wouldn't h-happen to be Anna… would you?"

She hesitated a moment, slowly reaching for the safety of her gun. "…Yes."

"Oh! Th-thank the stars!" The voice seemed to shift, suddenly coming from next to her. Anna flinched, getting as close to on her feet as she could manage and whipping out her gun.

To her surprise, all she found at the end of the barrel was a seemingly wilted yellow flower, petals pointed at the ground and leaves thrown carelessly over its centre as it… shivered?

"P-please don't hurt me!" It pleaded.

Anna yelped, dropping her gun and falling back to the ground. "What the fuck?!"

"A-ah! I'm- I'm so sorry!" The flower cried, removing the leaves to show a concerned face. "I didn't mean to frighten you!"

She paused, trying her best to catch her breath. "You're… you're talking."

"Y-yes."

"And… you have a face."

It seemed to chuckle a little, "Well h-how else would I talk?"

Anna rubbed her head, "Must've really done a number back there…" She grumbled.

"No! You're not hallucinating." The flower corrected, "I swear I'm real. You've fallen to the Underground, a place run by monsters."

Anna scoffed. "I've dealt with more than a few monsters in my time."

"N-no, not monsters like 'bad people', monsters as in real _monsters._ " It whimpered.

She rolled her eyes, "You expect me to believe those fairy tales?"

"Do the other flowers tell you not to?" it quipped, looking smug for at least half a second before shrinking back, "I-I'm sorry. That… that was rude…."

She sighed, "Nah… You're right. Why should I find anything _you_ say abnormal if I'm willing to believe you can say it?" She chuckled, the sound making the flower soften slightly. "Wait. How did you know my name, uh… little guy…?"

Panic flashed over its face, "R-right! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower. A young girl, with brown hair and a striped sweater, fell down her a few days ago, and I tried to lead her to safety, but-"

"What?! Frisk?! Is she alive?! Is she safe?!" Anna practically yelled, forcing Flowey to shrink back again.

"Y-yeah, she's alive. But I'm not so sure about the uh… s-safe… part…"

Adrenalin filling her body, Anna swiftly stood, scooping her gun up in the process. "Start talking, flower." She growled.

Flowey's leaves began to shake violently. "W-w-well… y-you see…" He tried to explain, but his words simply evaporated at the thought of her pulling the trigger. "P-please don't dust me!"

"Dust you?" she questioned.

"It's-it's what h-happens to m-monsters when they… die… they turn to d-dust." His petals were quivering with every word, and his stem looked like it was about to snap.

Anna sighed, holstering her gun and kneeling to him. "Look, little guy, I don't wanna… dust… you. But Frisk… she's everything to me. If you know where she is, you _have_ to help me get to her. I promise, you stay on my side and no one is gonna touch you." She lazily smirked, "Not even me."

He seemed to relax, smiling faintly before explaining. "W-well… Frisk fell down here a few days ago. She seemed lost, and I tried to…" He took a deep breath, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "…to fight her…I j-just assumed that if I d-didn't kill her, she would… would kill me. That's just the way it works down here… It's kill or _be_ killed. And I'm just a flower… I've taken more than my fair share of beatings." Anna's fists clenched, but she tried her best to allow him to finish. "B-but I couldn't! I just… couldn't bring myself to hurt her. And uh… to my surprise, she comforted me when I was begging for my life, just uh… like you did just now. I tried to teach her how to defend herself down here, but she refused to hurt anyone, or even anything. So uh, I tried to lead her to some sort of safety or exit. But that's when Toriel found us."

Anna's eyebrows knotted, "Toriel? Who the hell is that?"

Flowey's expression became serious as he regained eye contact. "Toriel is the caretaker of the ruins. She once cared for the children who fell. But, just as everyone else here, she slowly slipped into some sort of madness. She murders any human who falls down, taking their souls and… and…"

"Don't play this game with me flower," she grunted, "what does she do?"

"…Eats their bodies…"

"And what does this have to do with Frisk? You better not be telling me that you left her with that thing!" She yelled, getting to her feet again.

"I-I-I Had to!" He cried, tears stinging at his sockets. "F-Frisk told me you w-would come for her! She- She asked me t-to wait for you and b-bring you to her!"

"Well why are we still here?" Anna snarled, looking to the darkened corridor. "Frisk had better be safe, or things are gonna get dusty."

Flowey tried to hide his involuntary shiver, nodding to Anna. "Th-this way." He pointed the way before disappearing beneath the ground. She was impressed for a moment, before shaking the thoughts from her head and running down the corridor.

As she entered the next room, Flower awaited her. "The ruins are filled with puzzles to keep people out, or uh… in. Most of them are deactivated at the moment, but there are some you'll have to work through." He warned, showing her the series of buttons and switches on the walls and floors. Anna nodded, and was about to continue before Flowey stopped her again. "W-wait. One more thing. Th-there are still a few small monsters in here that Frisk never spoke to. They're likely still hostile, so be-"

Anna rolled her eyes, held her gun in the air and fired. The noise caused Flowey to duck under the soil again, as a flurry of little footsteps seemed to run further from her. A smirk on her face, she returned the gun to her holster and walked forward. "Not anymore."

Flowey jumped out again and chased after her. "A-Anna! Are you Nuts?!" he quietly yelled, "Now she's- she's gonna know where we are! She's- she's gonna come looking for us!"

Anna stopped and looked him in the eye. "If she wants to leave my sister in a safe place and come to face me head on, then she's just gonna make my job easier. That shot hit no one and was a warning. The next one's not gonna miss."

Flowey shuddered again as he observed the look in Anna's eye. She would need no teaching to defend herself, and seemed more than willing to kill if it meant protect her sister. "W-well… just be careful, ok?"

"As careful as I need to be." She sighed as she moved on, Flowey following at a safe distance.

They continued through the ruins, disarming the few puzzles that they came across. They faced no monsters on their journey, Anna's warning shot seemingly successful in assuring the monsters of her intent.

Anna had just carefully crossed through some unsupportive flooring when a giggle caught her attention.

"So." A new voice cooed from the corridor ahead.

Anna looked forward, pistol firmly in her hand as Flowey cowered behind her.

"It seems that two lost little lambs have fallen into my home. Are you quiet alright child?" The owner of the voice stepped into their view. Anna looked over the monster.

She looked like some sort of… goat? The soft fur that covered her body was clearly once white, but now seemed slightly yellow and singed in some places. Her red eyes were sunken, and lacking in emotion other than one that Anna struggled to place. Her black and red robes were torn and dishevelled, likely from years of scuffles and battles.

 _"_ _Th-that's h-h-her!"_ Flowy whispered, _"Th-that's Toriel!"_

Anna growled under her breath, looking the monster in the eye. "Where is she?"

Toriel smirked, "And who do you speak of, child?"

"Don't play fucking games with me. Where is my sister?" The monster chuckled darkly, before raising her hand. A small, but white hot flame manifested in her grasp. "You think I would allow such a small, innocent child to go with someone so clearly dangerous?" she yelled. "Ha! She is far safer with me. You are simply a threat to her safety, and I will not allow you to take her from me!"

She whipped her hand forward, sending the fire hurtling towards Anna. Flowey shrieked and ducked below ground again as Anna tried to jump out of the way. She was almost successful, but gained a small burn on the side of her forearm. She gritted her teeth, anger fuelling her as she charged straight for Toriel.

Toriel gathered more fire, as Anna raised her foot and delivered a sharp kick to her knee, knocking her cleanly to the floor. Anna wasted no time, climbing on top of the goat-monster to pin her down, and placing the gun to her head. "I'll ask you one more time." She snarled, " _Where. Is. Frisk."_

A tear seemed to slip from Toriel's eye before she gently closed it. "I would rather die than lead you to her, _human_."

Anna frowned as she cocked the gun. "That can be arranged, _monster_." Her finger tensed as she began to push on the trigger. Toriel's hand raised as she prepared to strike Anna with a lethal blow.

Then, the noise flooded the ruins, bringing everything to a standstill.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Mom from Hell

The sound was not a gunshot, nor was it a fire bolt. No, it was the sound of a small child's cry.

"STOP!"

Anna released the trigger, as Toriel dropped her hand. She then released her grip on Toriel and snapped her head up to find the source of the familiar voice.

Frisk stood, tears in her eyes, watching the battle unfold. Anna's eyes widened. She got to her feet, and rushed towards her grabbing Frisk in her arms and holding her tighter than she ever had before.

"Frisk!" She cried, clutching on to her. "Frisk, thank God you're ok. Iamneverlettingyououtofmysightagain!Areyouhurt?Didshedoanything?!It'sok,I'mherenow!Iwon'tletanyoneelsehurtyou,understand?I'llfixthisI-"

"Anna no!" Frisk snapped as she grabbed her sister's hands to get her full attention. "Toriel looked after me."

"She what?!" Anna stepped back, turning to face Toriel as she finally got to her feet.

"Yes. I protected her." Toriel stated blankly. Anna looked to Flowey for some sort of explination, but he seemed dumbfounded.

"Frisk, who is this person to you?" Toriel asked, looking completely through Anna.

"She's my sister, she raised me."

"I see. And do you truly believe that she is in no way a danger to you or your wellbeing?"

"Yes. Anna's just trying to take care of me, like always." She smiled softly, gripping Anna's hand a little tighter. The warmth Anna felt from holding her little sister close and safe again was indescribable. It was times like this that she truly knew how much that little girl meant to her.

She looked up from Frisk to Toriel with a stern expression. "I would never hurt Frisk. She's my everything."

Toriel seemed to accept this, nodding her head softly. "And what of the Flower?" She asked. "Is he a danger to anyone here?"

Flowey shivered from behind Anna's leg. "Not while he's with me, he's not." She replied quickly, creating a small, pleased smile on Flowey's face.

Toriel nodded again. "Very well. As long as Frisk is sure that you are both to be trusted, then you may come with me to my home. I am sure you have heard some… disconcerting tales about me, and would likely like some sort of explanation. I can promise that as long as Frisk is safe, no harm will come to you by my hand. I will gladly explain everything at home."

Anna was hesitant. This woman had tried desperately to kill her, to seemingly keep Frisk to herself. And, from all accounts, she hadn't exactly been a trustworthy person in the past. Simply looking at the vigorous shaking of Floweys head was enough to almost make her lift the gun again. However, Frisk's face pleaded with her to take Toriel at her word and follow her to her home.

If she sincerely had protected Frisk all this time, surely sitting down for a respectable and grown-up discussion wasn't unreasonable, right?

With a lengthy sigh, Anna reluctantly agreed. Frisk was overjoyed, bouncing on her heels before leading the way. Toriel giggled softely.

"She truly is something special, is she not?" She hummed before following closely behind.

Anna shook her head to try to clear her confusion. She tried to take a step further before she noticed something clinging desperately to her leg.

"Flowey?" she whispered, genuinely concerned. "Are you alright?"

Flowey gulped before shaking his head again. "I-I-I….I c-can't."

Anna turned to him, kneeling down again to look him in the eye. "You can't what, buddy?"

"I-I…. I c-can't go in th-there. Wh-what if she's lying?! She'll obliterate me! I'm just a f-flower Anna!" He whimpered. Anna sighed gently. She would normally find this sort of behaviour irritating. The whole world is a scary place! At some point you gotta man up and face the world, set it to rights and take no shit. Anyone who can't should be left alone.

However, from his mannerisms and facial expressions, Anna was almost certain that Flowey was but a child. She always had a soft spot for kids. Just couldn't say no to them. Besides, leaving a frightened child alone and defenceless? That just wasn't right.

"It's okay to be scared, sweetie." She soothed, petting his petals gently. "Everyone gets scared sometimes."

He sniffed, "I… I bet you don't… You don't seem scared of anything…"

She laughed, "Are you nuts? I was terrified of losing Frisk, I'm petrified of Spiders, I've never been big on heights, and you scared the crap outta me when I woke up!"

He laughed though his tears, whipping his… nose… with his petal. Anna smiled. "Hey, wanna hear a joke? They always help Frisk when she's scared."

He nodded meekly.

"Knock knock."

"W-who's there?"

"Leaf."

"L-leaf who?"

"Don't leaf me alone, let me in!"

He giggled, his tears fading as his smile brightened. "Feeling better?" She cooed as she got back up.

"Y-yeah. Thanks Anna."

"Anytime, little buddy." She pulled her backpack off of her shoulders and placed it on the ground, filling it with dirt.

"Anna? What are you doing?" Flowey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I doubt there's any dirt for you to crawl through in Toriel's house. Want a piggy-back?" Flowey grinned, nodding so hard his petals threatened to fall off. "All right, hop in."

"Anna?!" Frisk called from the distance. "Move your lazy butt!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm commin."

Anna sat in the fairly neat home of Toriel. It was a cosy bungalow. Sturdy hardwood floors lined the entire building, from the sitting room, to the bedrooms –which Frisk was eager to show off to Anna- to the staircase leading to some sort of basement. Fresh flowers, seemingly picked that day, where proudly placed on every table and in every corner, making the home immediately more inviting. The smell of cinnamon mixed with butterscotch fluttered through the air, and that combined with the warm fireplace gave a comforting vibe that just made her want to nap.

Anna was currently sat at the dining table, a cup of tea clasped firmly in her hands. Flowey was nestled deep in the safety of the bag, and Frisk was playing in her temporary room.

Toriel returned from the kitchen with a slice of pie (clearly the culprit of the amazing smell) and passed the plate over to Anna. Anna heard Flowey's warnings of human consumption echo through her mind as she stared questioningly down at the plate. Toriel's face fell ever so slightly.

"I can assure you," she sighed "there is nothing questionable in there, simply butterscotch and cinnamon." Anna nodded slowly before taking a tentative bite.

The taste burst in her mouth, making her feel a warm, comforting feeling throughout her body. The throbbing pain she had been trying to ignore subsided, and her body just felt generally at ease. As she relaxed in her chair, Toriel released the breath she had been holding and sat down.

"Now, first things first. Though you clearly know it well already, I feel introductions are in order. My name is Toriel. I am the caretaker of the Ruins."

Anna nodded and swallowed her mouthful. "Anna. I'm Frisks sister and uh… guardian I guess."

Toriel raised an eyebrow. "No parents?" she asked, gently.

"No." She snipped. "And I'd rather not talk about it."

Toriel was concerned, but chose not to push. "I suppose you are wondering what Frisk has been doing while she has been in my care."

Anna scowled, "Obviously. No offence lady, but you don't exactly have the best reputation."

Toriel's shoulders slumped. "Well… No. I don't. You see… the world down here, is very different from the place you are accustomed to. It is a harsh, cut throat world. The people here will do anything they deem necessary to survive…"

"So you think you need to murder people to live, is that it?!" Anna growled, slamming her fists on the table and getting to her feet, her chair knocked to the floor.

"N-no!" Toriel cried. "No, I… I do not pretend that I am innocent in this but, I promise it is not what you think."

Anna rolled her eyes, locking them with her watch before glancing back up to Toriel with a disapproving frown. "You got three minutes monster. Explain."

Toriel sighed. "From what I have gathered from others that have fallen, your people have long forgotten our existence, placing our history with your children's stories. However, it is true that we once lived in peace on the surface with humanity. It was a simpler, happier time.

Nevertheless, the humans became fearful of the fact that any monster could kill a human and absorb their soul, becoming incredibly powerful. We had no need nor want to do so, but the threat was enough for them to wish us locked away. A war broke out. At least that is what they called it.

It was no war. It was a massacre. Countless monsters were turned to dust, and not a single human soul was taken." She looked down at her paws, taking a moment to collect herself.

Anna mulled over this. If it were true, then monsters would have every right to be vengeful. To demand some sort of recompense for the years they have spent sealed away. However, she had little time for this. She was here for Frisk. That was all.

"Two minutes thirty." She said dryly.

Toriel nodded solemnly. "But I digress. When we were first locked away, the people were more sad than angered. We tried many ways to raise the people's spirits, but none were successful. Until the King and Queen adopted a human child who had fallen into the Underground. Her loving relationship with the monarchs and her brother –the prince- was hope that one day, monsters and humans would live together again. That is until the human died.

The prince was so distraught, and sought to take her body through the barrier and back home to rest. He took her soul and carried her home. Unfortunately, when they humans saw him carrying her corpse, they became enraged, attacking the prince with everything they had. The prince returned home, and died from his injuries.

The monsters lost all hope, and saw this as a sign that we would die down here. Chaos broke out as the King declared all humans enemies of the Underground, to be brought to him and slain. With seven souls, he could destroy the barrier, and then humanity."

Anna huffed, "Sad, but what does this have to do with you?! This doesn't justify what you have done to innocent people, nor does it make me comfortable with your attachment to Frisk. Get. To. The. Point."

"Y-yes. You are right…" Toriel wiped at her eye then continued. "No one was willing to share what they might find, everyone wants to be the one to destroy the humans for what they have done. They became hostile and savage, with no want or caring for anything but carnage and chaos. I, however did not agree.

I came here to the ruins when people began to turn on each other. In hopes of saving anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves down here. I welcomed each human that fell with open arms, treating them like my own.

But no matter what I did, they would eventually want to leave, to try to return home. The only way to do so is to pass through his- King Asgor's-castle, and face certain death. Four young, bright innocent people passed through here. Each dying in more gruesome and painful ways. I could not bring myself to allow even one more to suffer like the others.

When the fifth fell, I tried once more to get her to stay. But, she tried to leave… I…" She took a deep breath, paws visibly shaking, "I could not allow her to face the torture outside that door, the pain, the suffering… And so I… I…" Tears where falling onto the table, as Anna finally pieced things together.

"You killed her quickly, so that she wouldn't suffer."

Toriel nodded firmly. "I-I… I never… I would never… The other rumours are… are just that. I k-…. Killed her, but then buried her in the flower beds." She sniffed, but continued. "I realised that this was the only way to truly save them. It is disgusting, and despicable but… I had to be strong. I had to disconnect from those feelings of guilt. I had to spare them the pain, by suffering through mine…

I toughened up, making sure that everyone around here knew what I was capable of. But then…" She stared off into the hallway, towards Frisk's room.

"Then Frisk came." She smiled. "She refused to fight me after she tried to leave. Taking blow upon blow, but never backing down. Then she reminded me of who I really am. I do not wish to harm you. I… I am trying to protect you, as ridiculous as it seems… I felt my mask crumble, and wept at her kindness.

That is when she told me of you. She assured me that you would come to find her, some day. She agreed that until they day that you were here to protect her, I would do so."

Anna stared at Toriel, when that look deep in her eye suddenly made sense. It was shear, thick guilt. She was telling the truth. She was going to kill Frisk, but only in the hopes of saving her from something far worse. And Frisk had somehow convinced her that there was another way. That together, they could all get out of this. She brought hope back to her.

She always was a smooth talker.

Anna sighed. "Part of me feels like you need to make up for what you did." she snarled, causing Toriel to sink into herself. "On the other hand, you're probably punishing yourself enough."

Toriel nodded. "Every day of my life."

"Then, since I'm here now. You'll let me and Frisk pass?" She asked calmly, picking her chair off the floor and sitting back down.

"On one condition." Toriel whispered.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure you're in the position to be making demands." She huffed.

"I think you will agree to this one." Anna hummed angrily, before slowly gesturing for her to continue. "If you should… fall… when facing what lies ahead. Your flower friend will lead her back to me, where she will remain."

This didn't sit well with Anna. Toriel was clearly dangerous, and not in control of her mind yet. However, if things were as bad as she said they were –and Flowey was likely evidence enough to prove her right- she was likely the best option for Frisk. She clicked her tongue against her teeth before reluctantly holding out her hand. "Deal."


	4. Chapter 3 - Journey, Start!

Toriel insisted that Anna, Frisk and Flowey spend one night with her to rest, heal and prepare for the rest of the Underground. Anna was still reluctant, but Frisk was keen and happy. They were treated to a home cooked stew and more butterscotch-cinnamon pie before being ushered to bed.

It was strange. Toriel clearly had a reputation, just as she said, as no monsters even attempted to come near the house. She showed no fear when facing down Anna, even if that was hidden behind a mask.

And yet, since they had been in her home, she had only displayed the traits of a loving mother. Perhaps it was the change of heart she had had thanks to Frisk. Or maybe this was just what she had hidden away this whole time. Maybe she is only aggressive when she feels she is protecting those she cares about. Anna could relate to that. Either way, she was almost comforting now. Anna had to force herself to stay at least a little on edge. It was just a precaution, but one Anna deemed necessary.

Anna, Flowey and Frisk where squeezed into a small, red bedroom. There was only one single bed, but the girls had slept rougher than that before. There was also a box of shoes of various sizes, ranging from children's to adult men's. She could only assume that these once belonged to the people who had fallen before her. Why would she collect their shoes though? Whatever the case, Anna decided to take a shoe with her. If her backpack should fall apart or something, at least she would have a back-up carrier for Flowey.

Frisk was snuggled up in bed and ready to sleep when Anna sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Frisk? Can I talk to you?" She asked.

Frisk opened her eyes slowly, and lazily smiled. "Of course."

Anna took a deep breath. "Ok. I have a few questions, so uh… let's start from the top. What the hell where you doing wondering up here?!"

Frisk flinched. "Uh… I-I'm sorry." She whispered, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I was um… chasing a butterfly… I guess I should have been paying more attention."

"Oh, ya think?! You coulda been killed, Frisk!" she snapped. Frisk flinched back, causing Anna to breathe deeply. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped." She sighed. "Well uh… what have you been doin down here?"

Frisk shifted slightly, gathering her thoughts. "Um… I followed Flowey through the Ruins. Then I met Toriel. When I tried to leave, she attacked me. She told me that I'd suffer 'far worse' out there."

Anna tapped her fingers on the edge of the bed, trying to calm her nerves. "Then what happened?" She asked as calmly as she could manage.

"Well, I tried to talk her down. Tell her that I appreciated her trying to save me, even if there was another way to do it. Then I told her that I could tell that she was once a great mom, she seems like it to me, anyway.

And then she just started crying. She hugged me, and told me that she never wanted to hurt anyone. She just thought it was best.

I knew that Toriel wasn't really a bad person deep down, she just made some bad choices… That's why I decided to stay with her until you got here."

Anna hummed. "But how did you know I _would_ get here?"

Frisk smiled warmly, "Because you always look after me, no matter how far I go. I always know you'll come looking."

She smirked, "Alright kiddo, you got me. Now how about you get some sleep, huh? We've got a busy… dangerous day tomorrow."

Anna got to work removing her boots and socks as Frisk snuggled deeper into the blankets. She then placed Flowey (and the bag) on top of the chest of drawers, patting his petals affectionately. "Goodnight little buddy."

He yawned. "Goodnight Anna. Goodnight Frisk."

"'Night Flowey!" She chirped as Anna got under the blankets next to her. She lay her arm out, allowing Frisk to nestle into her.

She had done this since they began living on their own. Anna guessed it was some sort of compensation, but it was one she couldn't help but allow. She looked so at peace. So safe.

She lay her head back onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling. She finally had time to let all this settle in. Just as she always did, she lay expressionless, not allowing a single feeling to bleed through. But internally, she was freaking the fuck out.

 _Monsters._ Like actual, fucking monsters. As in, a giant murderous goat. A talking, weepy flower. And apparently things were just going to get worse from here. These guys were the nice ones. What. The. Fuck.

Her chest heaved as she tried to calm her mind. "So." She whispered to herself once Frisk was definitely asleep. "Monsters, huh? This is… new."

She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she must have fallen asleep at some point. It took her mind a moment. She expected the sun on her face, or the gentle patter of raindrops on the window pane. But she awoke to faint giggling and the smell of pancakes.

She suddenly remembered the goat who had provided her with the bed she was in and the burn on her-

Hey. Her arm was better. She hadn't noticed that one. Come to think of it, the lump on her head was gone too. Whatever, her stomach loudly demanded that she see to it before she pulled her brain apart trying to work out how this freak show worked.

She noticed that Frisk was no longer in the bed, and groaned loudly. This meant that she was going to have to get up. She didn't want to leave Frisk alone with Toriel too long. She twisted her legs to rest on the floor, and heaved herself up until she was standing.

"O-oh. You're up." Flowey chirped from his spot on the drawers. "Good morning, Anna."

"Morning bud. How you doin?" She asked, voice still raspy and rugged from sleep.

"Fine actually." He smiled, "I haven't slept so safe- uh… soundly in a while."

She smirked. "Good. I hope I can help you stay… sound… for a while longer." She winked as Flowey's face reddened ever so slightly. "So, you gonna come get some grub? Or would you just rather I got you a watering can?"

"No, I'm starving!" He groaned. It was a surprisingly uplifting sound. Maybe because he had spent all his time hiding and telling Anna how things work around here. It was nice to hear him complain like an actual child.

She grinned, lifting the bag and taking him with her into the sitting room. Frisk was already at the table, balancing a small set of dishes on her head with a proud look on her face. Toriel was watching – her expression somewhere between disapproval and motherly panic.

Anna flicked her eyes over the plates before sitting down, placing Flowey on the table next to her. "Thirteen? That's a new record." She stated, almost unimpressed.

"This is normal for you?" Toriel barked.

Anna shrugged. "What can I say, she can balance an unnatural amount of things on her head. She once got twenty-two glasses up there before I had to replace them all."

Toriel scoffed as she got up from her chair and brought in a stack of pancakes from the kitchen. "These are for you two."

Anna nodded, taking a plate off of Frisk's head (much to her dismay) to make a short stack for Flowey. He wolfed them down, not sparing a second to savour the flavour. Frisk had clearly done the same sometime earlier, as shown by the copious amounts of syrup on her face. Toriel scowled.

"Frisk, did I not ask you to wipe your face?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the table. Frisk gave a guilty smile instead of answering. Toriel rolled her eyes and pulled a napkin out of her sleeve with a smile. "Come here. Let me clean you up. I will not have you looking like a little ruffian while you are with Anna."

Anna smiled. This was kinda nice, actually. If it weren't for the abominations around her and the constant threat of murder at any second, she would probably enjoy this family-esq atmosphere.

She finished her breakfast, taking her plate, Flowey's, and the ever-growing stack on Frisk's head to the kitchen. Toriel quickly took the chance to follow her through. "Anna?" she asked gingerly. "May I speak with you? Away from the children?"

Anna placed the plates in the sink and turned to face her. "Yeah, I guess. What is it?"

Toriel glanced through to the sitting room to make sure that the others were definitely out of earshot. She then looked back to Anna with a serious expression. "Anna. I just want to make sure you are aware of what you are about to face. This world is dangerous and vicious. I am sure that you are more than capable but…"

Anna scoffed. "Why do you care, anyway?! You don't know me, and you've only known Frisk two days." She crossed her arms and leaned against the kitchen counter, her dry voice aiding in conveying her indifference. "I know you said you were trying to spare the others, but you still attacked and murdered other humans. What the hell makes us so different?"

Toriel looked almost hurt before she sighed. "Please, child. I know that my actions in the past are more than questionable, but Frisk has helped me to see that all I can do is prepare those who pass through. I once had my own children, you know. But… they are no longer with me."

Anna cringed. "Ah… I'm… I'm sorry." She whispered.

Toriel forced a kind smile. "It is quite alright, my dear. Frisk simply puts me in mind of my own, I struggle not to see her in the same light. And I can see how much you clearly care for her. I can respect your actions. You have a good soul. That is something to be protected down here." She placed a paw on Anna's shoulder. "Whether you want it or not, you have my concerns. I will worry about both of you. So please, protect that soul of yours at all costs."

Anna nodded. "Okay. What would you suggest then?"

Toriel thought for a moment. "Most of the monsters you are going to face are going to be unlikely to grant pity or mercy. I will not lie to you, this will be more than challenging. But if you can get them to remember who they once were, or who they wish to be deep down, you could help them the way Frisk helped me. Otherwise…" She paused as she glanced down at Anna's right hip. "It is a good thing you are capable with your weapon."

Toriel gave a sympathetic smile before heading back through to the sitting room, leaving Anna alone with her thoughts. She rested her hands behind her on the counter and hung her head back to look at the ceiling. Was she really going to do this? She had always said she would fight through hell and back for Frisk, but she'd figured that was just a figure of speech. She never even contemplated actually having to do it.

But what other options were there? Stay here, in the decrepit old city, surrounded by monsters out to harvest their souls – whether or not that made sense, considering she never believed in souls in the first place, was an argument for another day – as she spends her life worrying about her newly adoptive, murderous mother? Leave Frisk here with all those dangers to protect her from what lies beyond? Or allow Toriel to… spare them… from all of this?

No. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, this was clearly the best option. She just had to try not to think about it too hard. With one last angst-filled sigh, Anna gathered herself and left the kitchen.

Bags packed, Flowey strapped to Frisk, weapons, supplies and a map strapped to Anna, they stood ready in the basement – a huge, indigo, stone door being the only thing separating them from whatever Toriel was so afraid of.

Toriel sighed, placing an unsteady hand on the door. "This is a one way exit. I will not open this door again unless Anna should fall. I cannot chance the safety of this place being destroyed by those savages. Do you understand this?"

"Yeah." Anna groaned. "Yeah, I get it. No goin back and all."

Toriel nodded, pushing the door open, just enough for the trio to slip through. She turned to face them, tears streaming down her soft cheeks. "Good luck, my children. My hopes and prayers are with you."

She kneeled down, clutching Frisk in a tight embrace, then patted Flowey softly on the head. She then rose to her feet again, looking Anna in the eye. "Especially you, my dear. You are their best chance." Anna nodded, holding out a hand. Toriel glanced at her hand for a moment before chuckling softly, then pulling her into a hug.

It was the softest, warmest hug she had ever experienced. No wonder any other human was willing to hide out with her. She was just so… inviting. At least she was when she wasn't trying to burn you alive. That was a little too warm for Anna's tastes. She patted Toriel's back. "Uh… Thanks, Toriel. I'll do my best."

Toriel pulled away, "That is all I can ask of you." She stepped back, holding in a sob as Anna took Frisk's hand. "Stay safe." She pleaded.

Anna looked to her, nodding one last time before stepping through the door, it slowly closing behind them.

It took a moment, but Anna reasiled that she was suddnely freezing. There was snow. Bloody snow?! Under the mountin. There was snow.

"What the f- hell… Snow?!" She gasped, suddnely whipping her hand away from Frisk to rub her chilled arms. "How does that even work?"

Flowey shrugged. "Magic, I guess."

Anna moaned. "Magic. Right. Why shouldn't it be magic? This place just makes so much sense." She huffed as she began to stomp through the snow covered path.

"Well, yeah." Flowey replied with a cocked eyebrow. "Do you guys not have magic up there?"

"Not as far as I'm aware." Anna huffed.

"Huh. Human's used to use magic. It's how they put us down here in the first place. That's funny. You know I-"

He was cut off by the sound of a large crack. Anna turned sharply, glaring at the small log she had stepped over. It was now split cleanly in two, like it was made of paper. She grabbed Frisk's hand again, moving a little faster forward. "Move." She ordered, pulling Frisk behind her. Flowey shuffled from within the bag to slightly perch in Frisk's shoulder. He dared not face behind them.

They continued, Anna listening in on the footsteps faintly following behind them. She picked up the pace, almost running forward until they reached a bridge. It was sealed off with a large metal, possibly electric, fence. It was far too high for Frisk to possibly climb fast enough to escape their pursuer. Anna quickly tried to think of an escape route as Frisk shivered and Flowey hyperventilated.

"Anna! Wh-what do we do?!" He yelled.

"I-I don't know! Just- Just calm down, I'm think-"

The footsteps stopped as a dark, grizzled voice spoke up. " **n** **s,** " it growled. " **d o n ' l?** "


	5. Chapter 4 - A New Pal

Anna shivered, clutching Frisk close and trying to get to her gun as inconspicuously as she could. " **...Turn around and shake my hand.** " Flowey tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.

She glanced down. "Y-you better do what he s-says!" He whispered, "Y-you don't w-wanna irritate him."

She gulped turning slowly. The figure stood in the shadows, a black hood over his head, destroying any and all chances of seeing his face. The only things she could make out were his height – he was about a forehead taller than her – and the shape of his hand extended towards her.

Slowly, cautiously, she reached out. She hesitated, her hand hovering over his. The figure grunted, clearly tired of waiting, and grasped her hand.

She barely had a second to register the strange cold and stiffness of his hand before a small, sharp jolt of electricity shot through her hands. She jerked her hand away with a yelp, rubbing her palm as she stared, shocked, at the cackling figure.

"the old hand-buzzer gag." He heaved between bouts of laughter. "it's _always_ funny." She was then able to catch the glint of gold from his face as he smirked. It seemed he had a gold tooth. A fucking _huge_ gold tooth.

Anna made no attempt to reply as she struggled to process what was going on. Toriel had warned her of the cruelty of these other monsters. She didn't warn her that they were morons.

Once the figure finally managed to calm his laughter, he spoke again. "anyways. you're humans, right?" Anna nodded slowly, brain still whirring furiously. "that's hilarious. i'm sans." He chuckled.

Finally he stepped out from the shadows of the trees, pulling his fur-lined hood down in the process. Anna looked over him, hand tensing on Frisk's shoulder and eyes wide. Flowey squeaked and ducked into the backpack. "sans the skeleton."

Fight or Flight is a reflex that all humans have. Their body will automatically size up the dangers and risks of a situation before deciding to either face it or run from it. However, if a human should find themselves in a situation they have never come across nor heard of before, it is not unusual for the brain to panic and stop responding. Not unlike a computer crashing. This was one of those situations.

Anna stood slack jawed, staring at the creature before her. It was a Skeleton. Like, a real, live skeleton. Just… standing there, smirking… His smirk filled with large, white fangs, and one gold fang at the far left, that where not unlike that of a shark. Instead of eyes, he had deep, dark sockets, each holding a small red light that seemed to function as pupils. His sockets and mouth seemed to bend and shape themselves into obvious expressions, despite the lack of skin, lips or eyebrows.

He stood in a lazy, nonchalant stance, withdrawing his left hand to return it to rest in his pocket, just as his right did. He wore a red shirt and black shorts with a gold stripe down each leg, all topped with a short, leathery, black coat with a white fur trim around the hood.

This was too much! The goat she could handle, she was fluffy. And flowers aren't exactly threatening. But this?! A huge skeleton with glowing eyes and fangs and a gold tooth and a grin that says ' _I'm gonna eat you any second now_ '? No. It was far beyond the threshold of normal. Her brain just, stopped functioning.

The skeleton's venomous grin faltered, the lights in his sockets flicking from Anna to Frisk. "uh… you know it's fuckin' rude to stare right?" He grunted. Frisk laughed.

"Ha ha… sorry! I'm Frisk, this is my friend, Flowey, and this is my big sister, Anna! Nice to-"

"you guys got a fuckin' death wish or somethin'?" he interrupted with a scowl, pulling the smile from Frisk's face. "ya know, i'm actually supposed to be watchin' for humans right now, to take ya in to Asgor."

Anna's head suddenly cleared as she hauled Frisk and Flowey behind her. "I dare you." She growled.

The skeleton paused, looking her up and down. Then he suddenly broke into a throaty laugh. Flowey was confused while Frisk tried hard not to laugh along with him. She always found laughter contagious. Anna however stayed in a fixed stance, scowl firmly planted on her face, glaring daggers at the monster.

He attempted to calm his laughter as he spoke. "woah! heh heh, who let the bitch outta her cage?" He took a step closer, causing Anna to take a step back, glare increasing. "heh, you're a jumpy one, aint ya? that's always fun. before ya go round blowin' brains out, why not hear me out?"

Frisk tapped Anna's arm. "Anna, maybe you should just listen to him. He knows more about this place than we do."

Anna hummed. "You get the same as everyone else." She grumbled, "Three minutes. Convince me to play nice."

He chuckled again, "alright buttercup, you got it. i was about to tell ya that i don't feel like human huntin' today, so as far as i'm concerned, you're off the hook."

"Don't feel like it? What kinda guard are you?" Anna huffed.

"actually, i'm a sentry, if ya wanna get technical. but i never said i was a very good one. now, my bro… uh… boss papyrus though… he's a human-huntin' FANATIC. and if i were you guys, i'd maybe duck 'n' cover."

Anna raised an eye brow. "Yeah? And why is that?"

His smile amplified. "'cuz he's right over there."

Anna swiftly turned. Surely enough, there was a tall figure in the distance, quickly making its way towards them. Panic set in again as Anna returned to searching for an escape route.

Sans smiled. "ya wanna know a secret, toots?"

Anna huffed. "Not from you bone-boy."

"Anna!" Frisk hissed, "He might help us!" Against Anna's better judgement, Frisk took a step away from her and towards Sans. "Can you help us?" she asked sweetly.

Sans smirked. "alright kiddo, as long as ya can keep yer sister on a leash." He ignored Anna's growl and stepped towards the fence, pushing his hand against the left hand side. A well concealed gate quietly swung open, giving them a path.

Frisk grinned. "Thank you Sans!" She chirped.

"anytime bud. now quickly, you guys head through here and get behind that snow poff."

Anna didn't want to take his help. If it were just her, she would find another route and ignore him. However, it was not just her. Frisk and Flowey needed her to be a grown-up about this.

So, as a grown-up should, she stomped toward the large snow-dune like a two-year-old with a frown on her face. Frisk swiftly followed with a smile. Flowey was just glad to be out of the line of fire.

Just as the three had gotten into position, a large yell rang out over the forest. "SANS! REPORT!"

Anna signalled Frisk to stay down, then silently peeked over the top of the snow. Papyrus, as Anna assumed, was even more frightening to look at than Sans. He was far taller for a start – definitely tall enough to be some sort of giant by human standards. His eyes held no light, but somehow bent in a way that conveyed a deliberate scowl. There was a large crack in his skull, right across his left eye socket. His teeth were also jagged, but less like Sans's shark-like mouth, and more like that of a jack-o-lantern.

Even his clothes where more scary. The shoulders of his jacket and the ends of his gloves spiked outwards and looked ready to take someone's eyes out. His whole outfit was in black and red, just as Toriel's was and just as Sans's is. This seemed like a reoccurring thing. Anna was glad that she and Frisk had some red on their clothes too, or they would have stuck out more than they already did.

Sans's ever present smile twitched, like he was struggling to hold it. "nothin' to see, Boss. Just a nice snow poff." His eye lights briefly locked with Anna before his smile went from forced to shit-eating. "wanna take a look?"

Anna flinched, but Papyrus didn't even look round. His scowl merely darkened as he crossed his arms. "SANS. I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOUR SHIT TODAY. YOU SAID YOU SAW SOMETHING. SO WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME?!"

Sans lazily closed his eyes as he leaned against the fence. "i thought i did, but it was nothin'."

Papyrus looked enraged. "SANS, ARE YOU AWARE THAT YOU ARE THE SOURCE OF ALL OF MY ANGER?! WHAT KIND OF SENTRY ARE YOU?! HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO STAY ON UNDYNE'S GOOD SIDE?! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GET WHERE I NEED TO WITHOUT THE URGE TO BEAT YOU SENSELESS?!"

Sans shrugged. "i dunno. i had no idea ya were so stressed about it. here. this snow poff will relax ya."

Papyrus took a step towards Sans. Sans opened an eye, noticing Papyrus's sudden advance and jumping into a standing position, arms held out in a defensive stance. "he-hey now boss, i was just jokin' around. i-i'll try harder. i promise."

Papyrus stopped to sigh heavily. "FINE. BUT THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE." He bent down to meet Sans's eye. "TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, OR I'LL DO SOMETHING SERIOUS TO YOU. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Sans nodded quickly. "yeah, boss. crystal."

Papyrus hummed sceptically before turning on his heel and stomping off. When he was out of sight, Sans breathed a sigh of relief. "alright pipsqueaks. you can come out now." Before Frisk could even get to her feet Anna rushed out and grabbed Sans by the shirt.

"What the fuck was that, huh?! Do you think that was fucking funny?!" She roared. Frisk gasped.

"Anna! Swear-jar!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and angrily tapping her foot.

"Yeah, whatever." She quickly replied before turning her attention back to Sans. "Well?! What the fuck where you doing?!"

Much to Anna's annoyance, Sans's smile returned. "ya wanna punch me, huh?" he taunted. "well, i'll give ya the first one on the house." He locked his eyes with hers as his voice deepened to spine-tingling levels. "but you're gonna have to pay for the rest."

Her grip tightened for a moment as she contemplated whipping that shit-eating grin off of his face. However, the disapproving look from Frisk was enough to convince her otherwise. She released him with a sigh. "No thanks. I'll save it for later."

He shrugged. "suit yourself, i got all the time in the world, sweetheart."

"It's Anna." She growled, taking Frisk's hand forcefully. "Come on, Frisk, let's move."

Frisk waved sadly over her shoulder to Sans as she was dragged down the path. Flowey remained in the back, the safety of its walls relaxing him enough to pretend that the scary skeletons weren't really there. Anna simply marched on, grunting quietly to herself about _"jack-asses"_ and _"no time for this shit."_

Sans chuckled as he watched them leave. "i'll catch ya up ahead." He called.


	6. Chapter 5 - Welp, We're Boned

That guy was a jerk. A sleazy jerk, at that. The way his grin managed to convey his little opinion of them and still leer over them in the creepiest of ways made Anna's skin crawl and her blood boil. As such, she took little time to consider where she was going when she stomped away. It was only when she saw that tall figure on the horizon again that she realised she had dragged Frisk towards the likely more dangerous of the two skeletons.

She stopped in her tracks, evaluating her surroundings. She was still surrounded on all fronts by looming fir trees and snow. Though the trees could possibly provide a good hiding place, they were too tightly packed to run through, making things tricky if they should be spotted. There was one clear path on her left, but it led to a presumably icy sea. Pneumonia would be tough to treat on the run.

She only seemed to have one option – face this head on. She took a deep breath and dropped to her knees, facing Frisk. "Frisk. Flowey. I need you guys to do something for me." She said sternly.

Frisk's eyes started to fill with concern. "What?" she asked, as Flowey peeked out from his hiding place.

"I need you to go into the woods and hide. If I'm not back in ten minutes… You need to go back to Toriel. Okay?"

Frisk's eyes widened. "Anna! What are you planning to do?!" She whispered, but with enough force to easily express her want to yell.

Anna frowned as her voice fell alongside Frisk's. "I plan to give you your best shot!"

Flowey placed a leaf tenderly on Frisk's shoulder. "Frisk, she's p-probably right…"

Frisk shrugged his leaf away. "No! I know what you're gonna do! You're gonna run over there and try to fight them!"

"Well what else do you expect me to do, Frisk?" Anna asked, clearly getting irritated.

"If you fight them, it just means someone's gonna get hurt or… or worse." She grabbed her sister's arm, eyes pleading. "You don't have to fight, remember? You could talk to them, like I did with Toriel. Make them see who they could be! Then no one has to get hurt, and we can all be friends."

Anna chuckled dryly. "Frisk. In the real world, we can't all be friends."

Frisk sniffed. "Anna, please. Just promise me you'll try. At least try!"

Anna looked down at Frisk's little, damp face. Her lip was quivering, and her eyes glistened from the tears gently rolling down her cheek. She just couldn't say no to kids. Especially this one.

"Fine." She grumbled, "But if they won't back down, I'm not gonna stand there and get myself killed without a fight, got it?"

Frisk nodded slowly. "O-okay. I'll… I'll go hide. Just please, be careful."

Anna got to her feet, wiping the snow from her hands on her jeans. "As careful as I need to be."

Frisk hesitated as Flowey let out a sob, before quickly running beyond the line of trees and out of sight. Anna took another deep breath and then proceeded onward.

She approached quietly, not wanting to give away her presence until the very last moment. As she got closer she realised that Papyrus was not alone. Sans was there, listening patiently to the onslaught of verbal abuse spouting from his Boss's mouth.

Anna blinked. He was behind them when they left him. She hadn't seen him as they passed through. How did he get there so fast? Did he know some faster, safer path through the woods? Would have been nice to know about that one.

She shook the thoughts from her mind and payed attention to the matter at hand. The closer she got to them, the more she could hear.

"I AM SERIOUS, YOU LITTLE SHIT. YOU WANT TO KEEP LIVING IN MY HOME? THEN YOU SHAPE UP, AND FIND ME SOMETHING TO BRING TO UNDYNE. YOU WANT TO LIVE AT ALL? YOU AT LEAST PULL YOUR GOD-DAMN WEIGHT AND FINISH THOSE FUCKING TRAPS, GOT IT?" Papyrus boomed, seemingly not the type to take pity.

Sans nodded. "Yeah, Boss. I'll see to it."

"YOU HAD BETTER. I WILL NOT LOSE MY PLACE IN THE ROYAL GUARD BECAUSE OF YOUR BULLSHIT. I HAVE A REPUTATION TO UPHOLD, REGARDLESS OF YOUR ANTICS." He growled.

Anna took another step, trying her best to listen in – the more you know of your enemy, the better chance you stand against them. Papyrus was obviously very concerned about his job and public appearance. He seemed the type to do anything if it will make him look good.

Sans, on the other hand, was harder to read. He was cocky and arrogant while talking down to her and her sister, yet fearful and jumpy when speaking to his Boss. If anything, his behaviour only helped improve her profile of Papyrus, and shined little light on his own personality. The only thing she was sure of at this point was that Sans held his cards close to his chest. Her main question was, why?

She was so focused on her little psych evaluations that she hadn't noticed the small patch of ice at her feet until she hit the snowy ground with an "Oomph!"

Papyrus's head snapped round as she tried to get back to her feet. His smile widened as he grabbed Sans's shoulders. "WHAT IS THIS? AM I MISTAKEN?! COULD IT BE?! A HUMAN HAS STUMBLED INTO OUR MIDST?" He roared with the closest thing to joy he seemed able to emote.

Sans's smile came back, as grim as ever. "looks like it, boss. guess you've finally hit the jackpot."

Anna scowled. 'Yeah, thanks for the help ass-hole', she thought.

Papyrus grinned, stepping towards and then towering over her. "HUMAN, YOU STAND BEFORE THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS. I SHALL ALLOW YOU A MOMENT TO BASK IN MY GREATNESS."

Anna scoffed. Her brain may have been thinking of all of the ways this skeleton was going to gut her, but she was never one to show such things. "You don't seem all that terrible to me."

Papyrus laughed. "HA! PLEASE HUMAN, I AM THE STRATEGIST OF ASGOR'S ROYAL GUARD. I HAVE CONTROL OF ALL OF SNOWDIN, AND REGULARLY CARRY OUT MY ACTS OF GREAT TERROR ON THE RESIDENTS! NYAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh yeah? What kinda acts?" Anna laughed.

"W-WELL… I OFTEN KICK OVER THE TRASH CANS OUTSIDE OF HOUSES."

"Oh. How terrible." She sighed sarcastically.

"YES, WELL I… I ALSO SOMETIMES TIE PEOPLES SHOES TOGETHER."

"Wow. Evil. Scary."

Papyrus stomped his foot. "FINE! I SHALL TELL YOU MY MOST TERRIBLE AND GRIEVOUS ACTION!" He took a deep breath, pausing for emphasis. "OFTEN, I SECRETLY STAY UP PAST MY BEDTIME!" he called, posing dramatically.

Anna tried hard not to laugh. This guy wasn't evil. He was another moron. He was just putting on a face. Where they all like this? And why? It seemed that this creature was almost like another simple child, and if not for his frightening appearance and aggressive nature towards his brother, she would have never feared him in the first place.

"SO WHAT DO YOU THINK NOW HUMAN?! SURELY YOU ARE SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS!"

She looked up at his hopeful expression. She didn't have the heart to tell him that he was possibly the least frightening thing she had met so far.

"Y-yes!" She called, a little too loud as she tried her best to sound convincing. "You're right, Papyrus – the Great and Terrible. I am terrified right now!"

Papyrus looked proud. "YOU SHALL BE MY TICKET TO A BETTER LIFE. I HOPE YOU HAVE COME PREPARED."

He might have been adorably delusional, but he was likely still dangerous. If he could summon fire or something like Toriel, he could deal some serious damage. There had to be a reason that he made Sans so jumpy, right? She grabbed her gun, and fiercely pointed it at the tall skeleton. However, before she could even think of firing, Sans placed a hand on Papyrus's arm. "Hey, uh… Boss?"

Papyrus scowled. "SANS. YOU WILL NOT INTERRUPT ME IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU."

Sans seemed to somehow sweat a little before continuing. "y-yeah, i know, i know. but uh… i just wanted to point out how sad it was that your uh… traps never got to face a real threat."

Papyrus froze. His eyes seemed somehow blanker than usual and his frightening grin slipped as he thought. He hummed, his smile slowly returning. "VERY WELL. HUMAN. I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO PASS THROUGH THESE WOODS. IF YOU CAN MANAGE TO PASS MY TRAPS AND SURVIVE, I WILL GRANT YOU A SWIFT AND SOMEWHAT PAINLESS DEATH." He bent down to look over Anna's features. "THOUGH, BY YOUR APPEARANCE, I ASSUME THERE WILL BE NO NEED. NYAHAHAHAHA!"

With that remark, Papyrus stomped off, leaving Anna alone with Sans. Once he was out of earshot, Sans turned to her. "hey. where's the kid?" he asked.

Anna growled. "What the fuck was that all about?!"

Sans swiftly pointed at her. "ah, careful sweetheart. that's another dollar for the swear jar." He chirped.

Anna frowned. "Very funny. But seriously, who's side are you on here?"

Sans shrugged. "my own. don't really wanna be sweepin' my brother's ashes off the floor. too much work." She rolled her eyes as he placed his hands back in his pockets. "listen. my bro might seem pretty tough, but he aint as bad as he wants ya to think he is. just, try to trust me a little here."

"Sure." She snapped, "You seem like the trustworthy sort! Please, oh wise one, lead the way!"

Sans's smile faltered as his sockets formed and scowl. "anyone ever tell ya you're a real class act toots?"

"It's Anna!" She yelled, turning her back on him once more to stomp back to Frisk.

Sans laughed. "'this just how we say 'good-bye' now?" He called.

"It's how I say good-bye to you!" She snarled loudly.


	7. Chapter 6 - Who's a Good Boy?

She collected a relieved Frisk and explained the situation – there was a second skeleton who was equally as stupid as, but far different from, the first, who demanded that they pass through his series of 'deadly' traps before facing him in a life or death battle. She debated taking the kids with her, through the likely dangerous traps and towards the murderous skeleton, or leaving them here in the woods, alone and defenceless without the protection of her scowl and gun. After relentless begging from Frisk, and despite countless pleas from Flowey, she decided on the former.

They set off through the snow filled woods, Anna dragging her feet as she carefully watched Frisk happily skip and take in the sights. Flowey smiled warily as he tried his best to go unnoticed while still encouraging Frisk's sunny disposition. They continued on in that fashion until they came across a small, shed-like sentry station.

They had passed others before, clearly the work of the two Skeletons. One was right after the bridge, and was a mess with empty ketchup, mustard and relish bottles along with various empty food wrappers. The second was a little further down the path. It was not well constructed, and even seemed made of cardboard. Other than that it was clean and well kept. The mess alone should be evidence enough the former belonged to nonchalant, uncaring Sans. The note across the later claiming to be the work of "THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS" and reminding all those who pass to "SHAKE IN TERROR AT IT'S EMINENCE" was a bigger clue though.

This third one was smaller than the last two. The wood was dark and scratched around the edges. The snow around the shack was darkened, either by ash or perhaps… dust. Anna furiously hoped it was ash, but was more inclined to believe it was dust.

Anna gulped, hoping to sneak by. She walked carefully, eyes on the post at all times. No risks where to be taken here.

Frisk apparently did not agree, as she continued to happily skip by Anna to lead once more. Anna's breath hitched. She reached out to stop her, but was stopped by a low growl.

In the blink of an eye, a large shadow leapt out from the shack and stood before them on all fours, growling furiously. It was a large dog. Its black and white fur was covered in parts by a spiked red collar, a black vest and camo shorts. Its coat seemed rugged and matted, and like most of the monsters so far, it was marked by scars and scratches from previous battles. It bared its teeth, but his claws were not ready for scratching. Instead, each of his front paws held a long, sharp dagger.

Anna moved again to reach out for Frisk, but the moment her hand shifted, the dog snapped, causing the girls to jump back. They stood, not daring to move again, chests heaving and hearts pounding. The dog sniffed before growling again.

"Where'd ya go?!" It barked.

Anna raised a brow. "You… you can't see us?" She asked, still trying to slowly edge towards Frisk.

It huffed. "I uh… can't see ya if ya don't move." It admitted quietly. "So just wave or somethin, will ya!"

Anna smirked. If she moved slowly enough, she could probably get by unnoticed. The hard part would be getting bouncy, happy-go-lucky Frisk out of there.

She took a tentative step, trying her best to silently signal Frisk to follow her. Frisk pondered. She had a decision to make.

Frisk had always been one to make friends wherever she went. If it were all up to her, she would do the same here. The monsters where not what they seemed in her experience. They were lost souls, simply looking for a way to make it in this tougher, harsher world. She deeply believed that there was good in every one of them that was just waiting to come out. She wanted to help them do so, but there was a problem.

Anna.

The biggest issue was that each and every monster was a risk. There was a chance with each one that they would reject her acts of kindness and attack her. Anna would never allow Frisk to try and talk them through their anger.

Whenever anyone hurt her in the past, Anna would lose her temper, often going far too far for some sort of payback. She once broke a teenage boy's arm for pushing Frisk into the mud.

She could either move on with her sister, leaving this dog miserable and stuck in his ways, or she could attempt to calm him, show him the good in her to encourage the good in him. She would be lying if she said the latter didn't sound good. Maybe she could even coax a smile from him.

The thought of the dog smiling and being happy filled her with determination.

Anna froze. She knew that look. The look on Frisk's face meant she was about to do something stupid. Silently, her eyes darted in an attempt to shake her head without moving. Frisk smiled and took a step towards the dog.

This movement earned a violent bark as the dog snapped its jaws in Frisk's direction. As the dog then lifted one of his daggers into the air Anna leapt forwards, pushing Frisk out of the way and to the floor.

"Fine." The dog growled, "You go first then."

The dog then began furiously swiping in Anna's direction as she fumbled for her gun while trying to dodge. Flowey shrieked as the second dagger swung left and across Anna's cheek. She hissed as the blade made contact, forcing her to pull her face away and leaving a deep cut.

The dog looked smug until Anna lifted her gun. "What did you pick up?!" it yelped, "Was that a weapon?! What kind of weapon?! What is that?!" Anna smirked, pulling down on the trigger.

 _Click._

'Click'? Not 'bang' or 'boom', but 'click'? Anna frowned as she quickly brought the gun to her face. Jammed. "Shit." She huffed as she began trying to force the gun to co-operate. However, slamming the gun against her palm was simply giving the dog a very clear target. He swung again, pushing Anna to pause briefly and jump back.

The constant slashing, dodging and slamming was becoming too much for Flowey. "F-Frisk!" He yelped quietly. "Do something!"

Frisk nodded. She thought hard. What would she normally do with a grumpy dog?

 _"_ _Wouldn't you pet it?"_ She heard.

She glanced around. That voice certainly didn't belong to Anna, Flowey or the Dog. It was familiar, but she could not place it. She shook her head as she decided to linger on that later and follow the voice's advice.

Using Anna's frantic and now panicked movements as a distraction, Frisk carefully stepped up behind the dog. Once close enough she reached out her hand and patted the dog gently on the head.

His daggers dropped to the floor as he froze. Tail wagging ever so slightly. "W-What just pet me!?" He whispered. "I… I didn't see a-anything move b-but you! W-what… Who… Where…" His ears dropped as one of his paws flew into his pocket. "I-I'm gonna need some dog treats for this…" Shakily, he removed a treat from his pocket and placed it in his mouth. He then revealed a lighter and burned the end, proceeding to… smoke it? So it was ash around his station. That was a slight relief.

Anna wiped at her cheek while Frisk gently caressed the dog's head. "It's ok Mr. Dog." She spoke softly, "It was only me. The little human. I just thought you could do with a pet."

The dog took a deep breath of his treat. "Uh… Thank you, little human. It's uh… been a while…" He's lips curled slightly as he began to relax into her hand.

"My name's Frisk." She smiled as she watched his tail wag contently. "This is Flowey, and that's my sister, Anna. What's your name?"

"Doggo." He answered happily, eyes now closed and foot gently patting the ground

Flowey smiled. "Hey. He's just a lonely dog after all!"

Anna sighed, blood smeared across her face. "Yeah. He's real frickin' cute." She answered with a scowl.

Doggo's ears suddenly perked as his eyes shot open. He eyed Anna's face carefully before they dropped again with a sigh. "Ah. You're uh… you're hurt, huh?"

Anna's scowl deepened. "I am? Gee. How'd that happen?" She growled.

Doggo rubbed the back of his neck while he sheepishly spoke. "Yeah. Listen, I'm real sorry about that. I was jus' doin' my job, y'know? We're supposed to watch for humans. They tell us you guys are our ticket outta here. But, I kina like this little one. So I guess I'll let you guys pass." He gently brushed Frisk off, rubbing her head affectionately before stepping towards Anna, fishing through his pockets once again. "Here." He said, pulling a small piece of candy out of his pocket. "Eat this. It'll help."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. How exactly?"

"It's monster candy." He explained. "I dunno how your fancy surface food works, but ours is made with magic. Most food down here can heal minor injuries." He placed the sweet tentatively in her hand. "This is only a small one, so it won't fix you up completely, but it'll stop any bleeding."

Anna looked over the candy before shrugging and popping it in her mouth. It tasted like strawberries. Almost like a strawberry bonbon actually, but after one lick small zaps and pops where rolling across her tongue, like it had a pop-candy centre. It was pleasant to the taste, and sure enough stopped the bleeding quickly, leaving an impressive scar across her left cheek.

She ran her fingers curiously over the now closed wound. It was smooth and faint, like it had been there for months. Anna sighed. She could feel the disappointment of her new scar oozing out of every pore. However, when her eyes met with the worried eyes of Frisk and Flowey, she forced the best smile she could. "Well. At least I blend in a little more, huh?"

Frisk accepted her smile and returned one of her own. Flowey wasn't so sure, but he chose not to start an argument.

They waved goodbye to Doggo and continued onwards. They met several monsters on their way. First there was some sort of bird who grumpily told a snow pun – he earned a laugh from Anna, but it was Frisk's cheering to his humming (and eventually 'rocking out') that convinced him to back out. Then there was another dog – just as before, petting him seemed to calm him, if not break every bone in his neck as his head shot several feet into the air from excitement.

There was some sort of ice creature who was more concerned with possibly damaging his hat than actually capturing or killing anyone. After Anna took his hat – if only to shut him up for five minutes – and Frisk told him he looked better without it, he stepped aside too.

They also bumped into their new buddy, Sans. "heya kiddo. Plant. Buttercu-heh." He smirked as they approached, lazily watching from one eye. "that's a good look, princess."

Anna raised a brow. "What're you talking about bone-bag?" she snarled.

His smile, again, increased as he tapped just left of his teeth. "you uh… got somethin' on your face there, doll."

Anna gritted her teeth. "It's Anna. How many names could you possible go through before you get that right?"

Sans shrugged. "what can i say? guess it just so happens i got a ton of 'em saved up."

"A _skele_ ton?" she grinned.

Anna was a fan of jokes. She had always used the worst ones she could find in books or online to make Frisk smile whenever she could. It had become force of habit to slip them in whenever possible. As such, her pun had escaped her lips before she could remember she would rather save them for a better audience than this jerk.

When she did release, her grin quickly dropped into a frown as she turned away. Frisk, on the other hand, laughed heartily.

"Anna…" Flowey sighed through a smile. "That was terrible."

Sans seemed to snort before he grew an intense scowl. "yeah, yeah, buttercup. must take a lot of brains to come up with a tricky joke like that one." he huffed.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It was just a joke. I figured you of all people had some sort of sense of humour. But I guess it only applies to bad nick-names and hand buzzers, huh?"

Sans tutted against his teeth. "ya know, seems like every time i decide to help ya out, you make me wanna change my mind before i open my mouth."

Anna was about to stomp off, as per usual, but Frisk stopped her. "Anna. He's been nothing but helpful." She scolded. "Do you have any more advice, Mr Sans?" She asked politely as Anna remained mature and responsible – by folding her arms and refusing to look Sans in the eye.

Sans's smile returned as he addressed Frisk. "yeah, kiddo. i do, actually." Hands deep in his pockets, Sans looked towards the horizon. "my brother might not be as dangerous as he tries to be, but that don't mean he's harmless. his traps can be lethal, so take 'em seriously." He turned to face Frisk again. "if ya manage to get past those, you'll be facin' him in battle. his magic is red, which means his attacks are easy to dodge if ya stay still. think of it this way. human blood is red, right? well, if ya don't wanna be seeing blood everywhere, don't move on red. movin' on red equals seein' red, got it?" He asked, not waiting for a reply before walking back in the direction of his post.

Flowey hummed. "Hmm. Not that I don't appreciate it, but I wonder why he's giving us any advice at all." He pondered aloud.

Anna shrugged. "Just don't think about him, huh? Let's just move on."


	8. Chapter 7 - No Bones About It

Anna stomped forwards, one hand resting on her holstered gun, one clutching Frisk's sleeve. She glowered into the path ahead, her scowl practically melting the snow-covered roads. Flowey glanced tentatively towards Anna from the backpack.

"Anna?" He uttered, "Are you alright?"

Anna raised an eyebrow as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Sure. Why?"

He tried his best to meet her gaze, but any time her eyes drifted momentarily from the road and to his direction, her intense scowl was enough to make him want to continue his intimate eye-contact with the snow. Still, his voice tiny and strained, he dared continue his line of questioning. "W-well. You took quite the hit b-back there. And you seemed a little… sh-short with Sans."

Anna's pace slowed to a halt before she slowly turned with an exasperated look clinging to her face. Flowey ducked behind a stray piece of Frisk's hair. "Y-you just seem… like you're uh... like you're struggling a l-little."

Anna's eyes seemed to study him for a moment, then the constantly quiet Frisk, before they gently closed with a sigh. "I'm… I'm alright buddy." She breathed. "Just… It's a lot to take in all at once. Especially when I've never seen anything like this before." She released her vice grip of Frisk to pat his head. "But I'll be fine. Just gotta keep moving." She assured.

Flowey nodded. "Alright. But please remember to stop and breathe every now and again."

Anna smiled warmly and promptly nodded in return. She raised her head to the sky, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. Perhaps Flowey is right, she thought as she slowly exhaled, feeling the breath from her lungs and tension from her muscles leisurely drift into the chilly air of the forest. All this stress couldn't possibly be good for her. The sounds of the breeze flowing through the dark fir trees as brisk wind gently caressed the exposed skin of her arms and face were lulling her into a calm stillness. Her dirty blonde locks gingerly traced the lines of her jaw as she took in another breath. The feeling of relaxation was pleasing, if not short lived.

The sudden feeling of being watched caused her eyes to tear open. She turned her head hurriedly in all directions before catching sight of Frisk humming to herself as she skipped ahead. Anna knew that she shouldn't have closed her eyes for more than a blink.

Frisk however had no such concerns. She skipped, eyes either scanning the trees and snow gleefully, or pleasantly closed over as she continued ahead, humming to block out the sounds of a very protective and very panicked older sister.

Unfortunately, with one's eyes closed, one is unlikely to see the huge line of spike traps barricading the path ahead. And with a loud hum in one's ear, one is unlikely to hear the calls of onlookers to beware of such spike traps. As such, Frisk blissfully stumbled forwards unknowing of her inevitable demise.

Time slowed. Anna could feel every ounce of her being tensed as she called out an almost silent and far too late warning. Her eyes darted for some sort of escape or saviour, but failed to yield any such results.

Her mind drifted to times of Frisk as an infant, crawling across the floor, arm outstretched towards the only light source of the room.

 _"_ _Frisk!" Anna's voice called, far shriller and panicked than she ever remembered it. "No! Don't touch the candle!"_

 _She ran across the room as fast as her young legs would carry her, snatching Frisk up in the nick of time. Frisk laughed as she released a sigh of relief. "Frisk." She growled. "Seriously?! Do you want to get burned?!"_

 _Frisk's fresh face twisted as her little mind tried to translate the meaning of Anna's aggressive tone. Anna sighed again, gently placing Frisk onto the mouldy couch._

 _"_ _I know, it's pretty. But you would've got hurt. Messing with candles isn't a very_ bright _idea." Frisk stared blankly. "I know, my puns are usually_ hotter _than that, huh?" She grinned. Frisk responded with some sort of spit bubble before completely disregarding her sister and focusing her attention on the far more interesting topic of her toes. Marvellous little things, those. Truly adults will never understand the true complexities of such appendages._

 _Anna breathed out a laugh. "Eh. You'll love 'em when you're older." Her eyes slowly drifted back to the candle. "I'll uh… I'll try to find us some place better than this dump soon. Somewhere with nice, safe lightbulbs. And high ceilings. Way outta your reach."_

 _She glanced at the old watch on her wrist before deciding it was late enough to warrant sleep anyway. She crossed the room once more to extinguish the light, then lifted a blanket and settled on the couch next to Frisk._

 _Snuggling close to her, she pressed a tentative kiss to her crown. "I promise. It'll get better soon."_

Before she knew it, she was in a full sprint in Frisk's direction, calling out loudly. Flowey shrieked at a deafening volume, startling Frisk from her thoughts and forcing her eyes to open. She caught sight of the traps, but her panic caused her to stumble.

Anna's blood turned cold as she felt her feet grind to a stop. She was too late. She would never stop this now. She silently pleaded her eyes to close once more to spare her from the gruesome scene quickly approaching, but they would not yield.

In a blur of red, a figure burst forth from the trees. It flew across the snow at an incredible speed, snatching Frisk from the air and placing her gently on her feet once more.

Frisk stood wide-eyed for a moment before patting every section of her body. Yup. Everything was still there. She looked to the figure before her with utter admiration.

"Thank you, sir!" She heaved, still a little out of puff from the fright. "I was almost a goner!"

Papyrus grumbled something incoherent under his breath before turning to Anna with a scowl. "SURELY YOU CAN SUPERVISE SMALL HUMANS BETTER THAN THAT!" He snapped. "IF I CAN MANAGE TO KEEP SANS ALIVE DURING MY BUSY SCHEDULE, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO KEEP THIS ONE ALIVE WHEN YOU'VE LITERALLY NOTHING MORE TO DO!"

Anna stood slack jawed. A moment passed. Papyrus began grumbling once more about how he 'was never informed of _multiple_ humans', and how 'sans will be dealt with for this' before Anna managed to speak. "Papyrus." She whispered. "You saved her."

Papyrus froze, his posture rigid and his mouth slightly agape. His brain whirred. "W-WELL… YES… YOU- YOU SEE… SHE DIDN'T SEE THEM! THE SPIKES, I MEAN! I AM A FIERCE BUT HONOURABLE SKELETON, AND I HAVE STANDARDS!" He insisted. "IT DOESN'T COUNT IF THEY'VE NO CHANCE OF FIGURING THE PUZZLE OUT! SHE… SHE NEEDED TO SEE IT FIRST! I WON'T HAVE YOU RUINING MY PERFECTLY CRAFTED TRAPS BY FALLING IN BY SURPRISE!"

Anna felt a small smile pull at the corners of her mouth. She knew it. This was an act. He had no intention of seeing them hurt. Not really. His fists clenched and his sockets seemed to dart somehow. She couldn't bring herself to tear down his façade. "Right. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

Papyrus grinned triumphantly, clearly believing that his lie had been successful. "OF COURSE NOT. THERE WOULD BE NOTHING FUN ABOUT THAT." He roared.

Anna nodded, once again clamping Frisk's hand tightly in hers. "Obviously." She replied, "But we should be getting on with your challenge, right kids?"

The others nodded – Flowey's had shaking far faster than Frisk's – as Anna gently stepped them over the line of traps. Papyrus remained where he stood.

"Y-YES. OF COURSE." He called. "DO TRY TO PAY ATTENTION TO MY GENIUS BEFORE FALLING VICTIM TO IT FROM NOW ON!"

He waited a moment, kicking his boots against the soft snow, before quietly retreating to the trees.

The group marched on. "I can't believe you were so fucking stupid!" Anna snarled, not even bothering to look at Frisk as the lecture continued. "Is this our life now?! You just skip off to your god-damn death and I gotta come look for you, or let the fucking skeletons pick you up?!"

Flowey had long retreated into the backpack for safety. Frisk sheepishly smiled and sunk into her shoulders. "Uh… Swear jar?"

"Don't even fucking start."

"It's a what?"

Anna's patience was already wearing thin. She had spent three minutes and thirty-eight seconds explaining why it was not her fucking job to prevent her now ten-year-old sister from smothering herself with a pillow. Then she spent a further forty-six seconds trying to get Flowey to stop crying and convince him that they were not fighting and that she was not going to put them up for adoption. Then a further twenty-one seconds explaining that she could not put them up for adoption, even if she wanted to, as she is not their god-damn mother.

Her general annoyance at the two had led to her demanding that they remain back once she spotted the next challenge on the horizon. Flowey was grateful, as always. Frisk, not so much.

Now she was stood growling at a slightly intimidated Papyrus, though he tried his best to mask it, and a very amused Sans, in front of some other… trap?

"A-AN INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE!" Papyrus boomed. "I DESIGNED IT MYSELF. IT NOW COMES WITH ADDED FIRE! YOU MUST BE TERRIFIED!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Absolutely."

"YOU SEE, IF YOU SHOULD BUMP INTO ONE OF THE INVISIBLE WALLS, THIS ORB HERE WILL ADMINISTER A DEADLY SHOCK…"

Anna stared in disgruntled confusion. Wasn't the point of a trap to catch your enemy off guard? She knew that this was an act, but surely, he didn't think that this was going to fool anyone, right? He was explaining everything about the trap! What was the point?!

"AND THEN YOU WILL SET OFF THE FIRE WALLS! IF THE SHOCK DOESN'T KILL YOU, THE FLAMES WILL! NYEH HAHAHAHA!"

Anna scoffed. "Yeah. So scared." So, touching the walls would set off the orb which would kill you? Piece of cake.

Especially when Papyrus was the one holding the orb.

Her cockiness seeped through, a smug grin plastering her face. She lifted a foot, ready to take on this 'trap', until Sans stepped forward.

"hey, boss? won't that work better if the human is holdin' the orb instead?"

Her eyebrows lowered. Dammit. That was her best shot! Man, she hated this guy!

Papyrus gasped, before shaking his head to bring back his 'villainous' smile. "BUT OF COURSE! I WAS SIMPLY… EH… WAITING FOR HER TO UNDERSTAND THE INSTRUCTIONS. HERE, HUMAN." He called, lifting the orb over his head. "CATCH."

With far more might than was generally necessary, he threw the orb over the maze. Anna quickly jumped to the left with a hefty "Woah!" as it hurtled past her. The eyes (and sockets) followed it as it whizzed through the air and landed in a pair of small hands.

"Neat!" Frisk chirped.

Anna groaned. "I thought I told you two to wait over there?!"

"I-I tried to tell her!" Flowey yelped from Frisk's shoulder. "But she j-just kept walking!"

"What'cha doin'?" She asked, glancing over Anna's shoulder at the perplexed skeletons behind her. "Hey!" She called, locking eyes with Papyrus. "It's my hero! Hi Mr Skeleton!"

Without a moment's hesitation, she stepped towards him.

Anna stumbled forward, "Frisk, Stop!"

Papyrus was still. He was… her hero? No one, and he truly meant no one, had ever called him that, nor did anyone see him in such a light. When he was just a babybones, he had dreamed of being a hero. Of saving all monsters from the Underground. That was why he joined the royal guard in the first place.

But the world had changed. His job had shifted from sacred protector to human hunter. Any signs of affection were deemed "weak", even if it was your job to care about everyone else. He had long left that dream behind.

But the swell of pride and sheer joy that were building up within him when this small child looked up to him where hard to ignore. Deep, deep down, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he _wanted_ to be that hero.

He smiled. But it didn't last.

He suddenly realised the predicament that the child was in. She was practically charging towards him. Admiration in her eyes. Towards the maze. Carrying the dammed orb.

"WAIT!" He cried as he found himself dashing forwards. In one swift action, he leapt towards her, snatching the orb, and landing directly on one of the maze walls.

The child gasped loudly as the electricity flooded his bones. After just a second, the shocks stopped, but the flames began, flooding out from the tubes under the snow.

Thank the stars he was constantly training. He sighed, relieved, into the snow as the pain quickly faded.

For a moment, there was silence. Papyrus looked up to the child. She was staring down at him, with concern. Genuine concern. That was rare too.

His expression softened at her, confirming that he was alright. Her face lit up with a joy Papyrus hadn't seen in years. It was a comforting feeling. To know that there was still somewhere where people could smile like that.

"uh… boss?" Papyrus's head snapped round to a rather puzzled Sans. "…you alright?"

Feeling the sweat begin to build on his skull, Papyrus quickly dropped the orb and got to his feet. "YES! YES! OBVIOUSLY, SOMEONE AS GREAT AND… TERRIBLE… AS … Myself… Can… can…"

That word. Terrible. Papyrus used to use it as a badge of honour. Now, it tasted foul on his tongue. So much so that he totally forgot the most cunning excuse he had prepared for his out of place actions.

He tried to think of another, but nothing came. Instead, he simply sighed. "I need some time to think," He said, in an uncharacteristically soft tone, "The traps ahead shall be disarmed, for the time being. Excuse me."

He stalked out of sight. Sans looked to Frisk, then to Anna. His confused expression tightened. She was holding her gun. She was about to take advantage of Papyrus's mercy.

He snarled, baring his teeth and darkening his sockets. Anna scowled in return, holstering the gun, but standing firm in her eyes. It was practically a warning. One that said, "I am not one for mercy."

He grunted something quietly before stomping into the trees.


	9. Chapter 8 - BoneHead

Anna breathed a sigh of relief, slowly lowering her gun as she watched the skeletons leave. She was clearly getting skittish. When Papyrus leapt towards Frisk she immediately went on the attack, taking clear aim at his skull, even when she knew he was not going to hurt her. She looked to her right, her eyes meeting the wide and panicked ones of Frisk.

"Anna?" She whispered, "You… You were gonna-"

"Not now Frisk." She snapped. "Let's go."

The path ahead now seemingly clear, Anna continued with Frisk trailing behind. They faced no more monsters - any and all appeared to have been chased off by Papyrus.

Anna refused to look back at her sister as they trudged through the snow. She internally wrestled with the cause, repeatedly jumping between confusion, guilt and rage. One thing was certain, this was getting too dangerous to have Frisk around.

Toriel had informed them that the only way out was through King Asgor's Castle. However, they had no idea how far away that was, which was the best path to reach it, or what dangers littered the way. Sans and Papyrus, along with the various monsters, had already caused enough damage. God only knew how dangerous the King of all monsters would be. This was going to be difficult.

Anna knew this already, but she hadn't really thought that she would not be capable of protecting Frisk. The possibility of having to send Frisk back to Toriel's home was becoming frighteningly apparent.

Especially when they came to the bridge.

The bridge itself was safe enough looking. A little rickety, maybe, but safe enough. The shady, shambled town on the horizon however – not so much.

Anna froze, looking over the town over the bridge. It was just slightly too far to truly distinguish its details, but the eerie shadows and uncomfortable silence that hung over it were already too much.

Anna sighed again. It seemed quickly on its way to becoming her new _favourite_ sound. With a pang of con-ra-guilt, she slowly turned to her little followers. "Frisk." She uttered carefully.

Frisk glanced up. She was already pouting from Anna's earlier display. God. How would she react to this?

"I need you to-"

"Hide in the trees again?" She grumbled.

"U-uh… No." Anna regretfully rubbed the back of her neck, feeling what she was sure she would soon regret creeping up her spine. "No, actually." That confused and worried expression returning to Frisk's face almost made Anna crumble and give up completely. It didn't help when Flowey popped his head onto Frisk's shoulder, his face matching hers almost completely.

She hardened her resolve. This was for Frisk. It wouldn't be safe to bring her along.

It wouldn't be right.

Her face stiffened. "I need you to follow Flowey back to Toriel."

Frisk gasped, before falling into a deep-set scowl. "Anna, no!"

"It isn't safe."

"B-but, you'll be all a-alone!" Flowey yelped.

"But neither of you will have to face this. I can live with that."

"But you'll be in trouble!" Frisk growled. "And whenever you're in trouble, and no-one's there to calm you down, you do something stupid!"

Anna groaned, tentatively rubbing her temples with her index and middle fingers. "I don't think that stuff qualifies as _'stupid'_ down here."

"No! They're not all bad Anna! I won't-"

"Enough!" Anna yelled, towering over Frisk as she spoke. "I'm not arguing over this, and I'm not backing down either! I don't care how much you agree with me, you are not coming with me! Now, do. As. You're. Told!"

Frisk, visibly bubbling with anger and hurt, pushed through her building tears and opened her mouth once more. "NOW!" Anna screamed, one last time, lifting her finger and pointing back in the direction of the stone door. Frisk's mouth slammed shut. That familiar 'I'm-gonna-do-something-stupid-whether- _you_ -like-it-or-not' look flashed across her face for a second before any and all expressions fell completely.

Her head fell, her eyes now shielded by the messy lop of brown hair on her forehead. She nodded solemnly, before promptly turning and sulking out of sight.

Anna stood still, silently watching her leave until she was sure that she was actually gone this time. She took a deep breath. She turned back to face the town. Then she continued along the bridge.

It felt so wrong. Frisk was never away from Anna's side for more than a minute. But she had just yelled at her to leave, knowing fine well that it could be their final interaction. Her breath was shaky, and her steps where hesitant. Her guilt could almost be mistaken for fear if it weren't for the down-right down-trodden look on her face.

Her expression shifted to deadpan quickly when her eyes met with two memorable red dots at the end of the bridge.

"aw, no kid this time?" Sans purred.

"Out of the way, bone-bag." She hissed. "I don't have time for your shit." She pushed passed him, only to have her wrist snatched in cold, bony fingers.

She stopped, almost baring her teeth at the skeleton. "hey." He huffed. "at least let me give ya' some… _friendly_ … advice about fighting my brother."

Anna's frown intensified. There was something about his smile this time that threw her off. It didn't seem smug or shit-eating like before. Now it was undoubtedly forced.

"…What?" She sullenly whispered.

The lights from his sockets evaporated as his grin grew, showing off his teeth as much as possible. "d o n ' t." He snarled before letting her go. "Capiche?"

She snorted before leaning close to his face. "I'm getting outta here. Whatever. It. Takes." She sneered back. "Comprende?"

There was a pause before he chuckled. "go right ahead." He took a step back, closing his eyes nonchalantly and lowering his head. "just to warn ya' though. if ya' keep headin' that way..." He looked up, locking his empty sockets with her powder-blue eyes. "you are REALLY not going to like what happens next."

She was in the midst of forming a witty and categorically aggressive retort when the air tensed and shifted around her. She blinked, and he was gone. She gasped a little, turning sharply to find him, but he was most certainly gone.

She gulped. Perhaps she should exercise caution the next time she tells him to fuck off. She could avoid it all together, but that would just be absurd. With a grunt of displeasure, and a huff to blow her frazzled bangs out of her face, she stomped towards the town.

The town, ironically named _Snowdin_ if the giant, welcoming 'Welcome to Snowdin, now fuck off' sign was to be believed, was completely silent. There were a few small buildings littered along the snowy path, all of which had their doors firmly shut and curtains curtly drawn. If she didn't know any better, she would think they were avoiding her, or something.

She took in the scene as she squelched through the darkened slush underfoot. The buildings where shadowed by singes from old flames. The noticeable sent of soot mixed with dust clung heavily to the cold silent air. The carcass of a long dead fir tree stood centred in the makeshift street, burnt and crippled by years of torment. From the scraps of fabric clinging to its base, it could almost be mistaken for a Christmas tree, if not for the clearly unfitting surroundings in resided in.

Past that, and the last few houses of the small town, was a misty road leading onwards. Anna cursed under her breath, her uneventful trip making her regret sending Frisk away. That was until she saw the silhouette on the horizon.

Her breath hitched as her steps slowed. There was no mistaking those spiked shoulders.

Hearing her gasp, Papyrus turned to face her, a strange, conflicted look gracing his usually irritated features. His sockets seemed to search for a moment before he gave a sigh.

"Human. I Must Speak With You."

Anna tightened her stance. "You get three minutes, tops." She huffed, "That's the rule."

Papyrus accepted this with a nod. "The Smaller Human With You. What Is It To You?" He asked.

" _She_ is my sister." She replied sharply. "And I suggest you leave her out of this."

Papyrus frowned. "Well. It Is Your Sister That Has Caused This Issue." He breathed. "Without Her, It Would Have Been Simple Enough To Take Your Souls And Bring Them Straight To Undyne." Anna placed a hand on her revolver, furrowing her brows as she listened. "However, Now I Find Myself… Conflicted."

She huffed a bitter chuckle, her gaze verging on poisonous. "How so?"

"SHE LOOKS UP TO ME." He yelled, his voice returning to its usual volume, but lacking its usual edge. "I… I HAVE NEVER HAD SOMEONE LOOK UP TO ME BEFORE, AND I FIND IT… DISTRACTING. THAT CHILD CLEARLY NEEDS ME FOR GUIDANCE."

Anna let out a strangled laugh. "You?! Why would she need you for guidance when I'm here to take care of her?!"

"IF YOU WERE TRULY TAKING CARE OF HER, SHE WOULDN'T HAVE-" He seemed to cut himself short, taking a moment to recollect his thoughts. With a calming breathe, he began again. "Nevertheless, You Seem Very Important To The Child, Perhaps Not As Important As I, But Still… I Am Willing to Spa-" He stopped again, closing his sockets and grunting.

"No. I Can Not. Where Is The Child?"

"Somewhere safe." She growled, her voice low and threatening as her grip on her gun tightened.

Papyrus nodded once more. "Good. I Can Not Bring Myself To Take Her Soul." He admitted, looking solemnly at his boots. "Yours However, Is Non-Negotiable."

Anna grunted, lifting her gun and quickly firing a shot in his direction. With a roar, Papyrus raised his left hand, summoning a red coated bone and effortlessly blocking the bullet. She raised her brows.

Damn. He was fast.

He lifted his arm and several red coated bones where raised from the snowy ground and sent hurtling towards her. She yelped, and was about to dodge when a simple word formed in the back of her mind.

"Blood"

She had maybe two seconds to decide whether or not to follow the slime-ball's advice, but her hesitation was quick to make the decision for her. As her feet grounded her in place, the bones seamlessly passed through her.

She looked down to confirm that no damage was done before locking eyes with Papyrus, a smug, satisfied grin plastering her face.

"NNNGGHHAA! YOU GOT LUCKY, BUT DO NOT COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS YET, HUMAN! I AM NOT AFRAID TO USE MY RED ATTACK TO MY ADVANTAGE!" He growled. She laughed, about to raise her gun again when he quickly raised his hand first, tinting her vision in a strange red glow, and creating a heavy, pulling sensation in the depths of her chest. A moment's glance was enough to prove that it was not only her vision that was tinted, but her whole body.

Her head snapped up to the sound of the ground cracking, and a singular white bone tearing towards her. White was to be dodged, if she remembered correctly. She moved her feet to lunge to the left, only to find them weighing an unbearable amount. The sudden extra weight converted her leap into a faceplant as she landed unceremoniously in the damp snow. She was able to get her bearings just in time to watch the bone collide sharply with her torso. She let out a gargled yelp as the wind was knocked clean out of her.

Papyrus smirked. "YOU'RE RED NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK." He stated conceitedly. She groaned, lifting herself as much as possible under the new weight. It was straining, but doable.

That was a good thing too, as a group of four or five more bones lifted from the cold dirt. She hissed a little as she steadied herself, but managed a few quick dodges nonetheless. She lifted her gun again, firing at his torso. An excellent shot.

That is, an excellent shot when aiming for a human being, with organs and flesh. When fighting a huge, magical skeleton, a bullet through the ribcage seems mildly distracting at best.

She groaned in frustration, managing to dip past the next set of bones with only a little difficulty.

"YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND US, HUMAN!" He bellowed as more bones were thrown towards her, the last clipping her knee as it passed her. "I MUST PROVE TO UNDYNE, TO ASGOR AND TO MYSELF THAT I AM CAPABLE OF DEFENDING THE PEOPLE!"

Anna sneered. "Defending from what?! I Haven't done anything!"

A bullet whipped passed his skull as Papyrus frowned. "YOU'RE SHOOTING AT ME RIGHT NOW!"

"SO ARE YOU!" She yelled back.

They continued in this way for a while, Anna landing no hits due to her now slowed speed, and Papyrus beginning to visibly sweat.

He stopped for a moment, Anna taking it as a chance to breathe, "TH-THIS IS YOUR… YOUR LAST CHANCE, HUMAN." He wheezed. "SURRENDER NOW, OR FACE MY SPECIAL ATTACK."

Anna paused, before quickly firing once more. "Bite me." She hissed.

Papyrus groaned. "VERY WELL. FACE MY-" He stopped. He glanced around. He even patted his body a few times as if looking for something. "damn that wretched… WELL. FACE MY NEW SPECIAL ATTACK."

He crouched, grazing his gloved hands across the snow before raising them high into the air as he stood at full height once more. A barrage of bones, ranging in size, movement and speed flew towards her.

Anna gasped, quickly darting to her left. However, the bones seemed to follow, boxing her in. She groaned, reading her knees as she began leaping over the smaller ones, making sure to roll when she hit the ground.

The larger ones were more of an issue, being too high to jump. She attempted to at first, only to have the top of the bone catch and drag her foot, throwing her across the air and back into the snow.

She quickly stood again as the bones continued, her right foot screaming in protest, but her adrenaline quickly hushing it. She spun right, then left, then right, in an attempt to serpentine the bones. A cold, sticky substance was currently invading her right boot, but that would have to wait.

The final bones began chugging forwards, slow enough to outrun for at least a moment. She turned, running towards the nearest tree. With a groan, she hoisted herself onto the trunk and shimmied just high enough to jump over the bones, including the final, towering bone at the back.

This would also give her the perfect skull-shot.

"HEY!" Papyrus snapped. "THAT'S CHEATING!"

Anna pushed her weight into her toes as she prepared her jump. "Tough Shit."

She pushed off of the bark, flying over the bones and yanking her gun in front. She took aim as her arc began to descend.

It was then that the pull in her chest seemed to increase tenfold. She yelped as she was suddenly thrown mercilessly to the ground, smacking her head for the second time this _trip_.

Papyrus yelped. "OH… OH MY, IS SHE-?"

Anna rolled onto her side, trying to steady her eyes as her vision began to blur. Two odd pairs of shoes wandered into her eyeline as her lids fought to close.

"see kid, told ya' she'd **_fall_** for the boss in no time."

"SANS…"

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"don't sweat it, kiddo. she'll be a'ight…" One pair shifted back, before Anna could make out what seemed to be a knee, followed by a smiling, blood-boilingly smug skull. "aint that right, buttercup?"

Anna rolled onto her back, taking in the faces of Frisk, Flowey and Papyrus, all standing somewhat concerned over her. "Frisk…?" She breathed as darkness crept in. "…you are so grounded…"


	10. Chapter 9 - Shake on It

Monsters are assholes. There's no denying it. And sure, there's no denying that some have their reasons, stupid they may be, and most are just pretending. But nevertheless, the monster population at this point was close to non-existent, and the cause of this was monsters. They were wiping themselves out.

Humans, on the other hand, where a whole other level of asshole. Like, if earth had an asshole, it would feel less self-conscious about itself every time it saw the size of humanities.

They bitched and fought with each other without being cooped up in one room for centuries at a time. They wiped out as many species as they could get their hands on. They locked monsters away for no reason other than fear. They killed the monarchs, setting off the chain of events that would lead to this shit-hole. They forgot about them. Yet they repeatedly felt the need to drop in every now and again to fuck shit up further.

Some just caused more bloodthirsty bickering over their soul. Some attacked any that came near. Some played nice, only to stab them in the backs later. And one in particular cursed more than an inebriated, agitated Undyne, started fights with anyone who looked at her the wrong way – e.g., any which way at all – and threatened innocent skeletons with guns.

Sans had tried hard to keep his composure, but when Papyrus had actually risked his reputation to help that kid, just to face down the barrel of that bitch's gun, his patience began to wear thin.

He had hoped that his little display at the bridge would be enough to scare her off, but it simply seemed to spur her on.

This made him nervous.

Anyone with half a brain and an outside perspective could see that Papyrus was all bark and no bite. It was all an act to please the people around him, to keep up appearances and maintain some sort of _'respectable'_ reputation. He wasn't going to hurt her, he was just going to make it look good.

 _She_ , however, was another story. She seemed to be a "shoot first, ask questions never" kind of person, and Papyrus was making himself into one big target.

Sans watched her from the trees. She was currently grumbling her way through Snowdin, gun still in hand. Plan A had been a bust. And he had no Plan B.

He was frustrated. He faintly remembered a promise he made quite some time ago. He also knew that if he saw _her_ take Papyrus down, he would quickly break it.

He blipped his way back to his sentry post, and began kicking aggressively at the shoddy wooden supports, until he heard a soft whisper. He headed towards the fence just in time to see the kid standing unsure, muttering to herself. He approached slowly.

 _"_ _I know, but what can I do?"_ She whispered.

There was a pause.

 _"_ _Yeah. Right. Look, you don't know her. When she gets like this she won't listen to me anymore!"_

Another pause.

 _"_ _Who do you think I am, SuperMan?! How do you expect me to do that?!"_

Pause.

 _"_ _Yeah, but there isn't anyone… Well I don't know where he is."_

She was hunched over, her back to him. Her backpack was clearly shut, but the small leaf sticking out proved that the little weed was still in there. Who the hell was she talking to?

He took another step, stepping onto his tip-toes a little to try and peek over her shoulder.

 ** _SNAP_**

Damn it. How many twigs where there out here?

The kid whirled around to face him, her expression fearful for a moment, before slipping into a relieved smile.

"Mr Sans!" She called. "Thank goodness you're here! I need your help!"

He glanced behind her, noting the lack of partner, but storing that data for later. He had his brother to think about right now. The skitzo kid could wait.

"better be important, kiddo." He smirked. "i kina' got my own problems right now."

"You're talking about Papyrus, right?" She asked, her voice unusually grave. Sans simply nodded in response. "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm worried about him."

Sans chuckled. "you and me both kid."

"Anna's not bad." She politely insisted, "But she gets in these moods that I just can't shake her out of. Especially when she thinks I'm in trouble." The kid's eyes shifted to her feet. "I think she's gonna really hurt Papyrus. I need to stop her but… Can you help me?"

Sans paused.

He wasn't going to get involved, it was risky. He couldn't handle it if his baby brother was… hurt… right in front of him. He would lose his temper; do something stupid in front of the kid.

"I promise, I'll make her see reason! If you can just… stop her first." She quickly added.

Then a thought occurred to him.

Papyrus was always a quick way to make him calm down and behave. Maybe the bitch and the kid had that in common.

With a smirk, Sans held his hand out to the child. "a'ight kid. ya gotta deal."

Frisk was _literally_ bouncing with joy. Her smile widened to an unhealthy state for a human. "Thank you!" She cried, grabbing Sans's hand in an iron, death grip. "C'mon, then!" she ushered as she tried to pull the heavy skeleton along. "We gotta go, or we'll be too late!"

Sans rolled his eye-lights with a small smile before lightly grabbing the top of her head and twirling her around to look at him. "don't worry, pal." He grinned. "i know a shortcut."

There she was. The bitch was standing in the snow, slowly panting as she glared at Paps. Sans and Frisk took position behind a row of trees and snow, kneeling to keep concealed while still maintaining a good view of the field.

Paps stood a few meters away from Anna. He seemed to be struggling too, but was no longer attacking. Was he offering her mercy?

"TH-THIS IS YOUR… YOUR LAST CHANCE, HUMAN." He wheezed. "SURRENDER NOW, OR FACE MY SPECIAL ATTACK."

Ah. So not quite mercy, just a breather. Sans gritted his teeth. He had to be sure that she wasn't going to stand down before he did anything. He wouldn't feel right about beating her to a bloodied pulp when she was trying to surrender. It would feel _good_ right about now, but not _right._

The kid was silent, clearly picking up on his observations, but tugged at his sleeve urgently. Without taking his sockets off the battle field, he quickly held one finger up to her, signalling her to stay patient a little while longer.

The bitch seemed to study Paps for a fleeting moment before shooting at, and thankfully missing, his skull. "Bite me." She hissed...

Paps groaned. "VERY WELL. FACE MY-" He stopped. He glanced around. He even patted his body a few times as if looking for something. Heh. That stupid dog had obviously been in at the Boss's attacks again. "damn that wretched… WELL. FACE MY NEW SPECIAL ATTACK."

In seconds, he began a fairly complicated bone attack, apparently trying to make up for the loss of his special attack. Bones of all sizes began chasing her through the snow.

The bitched almost screeched as she about turned and tried to out run them. When dodging stopped working, she tried jumping, not that it could have been easy with the gravity magic Paps was using. As the bigger bones hit, the jumping stopped working too. The top of the bone caught and dragged her foot, throwing her across the air and back into the snow.

The kid gasped and quickly yanked at Sans's sleeve again. He turned quickly to whisper "hold up kid."

"But she's in danger!" she yelped.

A little yellow head then dragged itself from the kid's bag, a leaf rubbing at one eye. "What's going on?" He mumbled.

Sans dragged a hand down his skull. "look," he said, "she might get hurt, but the boss aint gonna kill her, a'ight?"

Frisk frowned. "Promise?"

Sans nodded quickly before looking back to the battle. If Paps kept this up, he'd knock her out before Sans would need to intervene at all. Hopefully.

It seemed that the final bones had already started. Papyrus was angrily stomping his foot as her highness had worked her way half-way up a nearby tree. She looked to be just high enough to jump them. Clever little shit.

"THAT'S CHEATING!" Paps hollered.

She readied herself to jump. "Tough Shit."

Sans looked at her jump trajectory. She wouldn't just miss the bones, she'd have the best view to catch Papyrus by surprise right between the sockets. He placed a hand on the kid's shoulder, lowering her below the small snow dunes to obscure her view before rushing out from the trees.

She pushed off of the bark, flying over the bones and yanking her gun in front. She took aim as her arc began to descend.

Sans threw out his hand, his eye igniting as his magic took grip of her soul. As a look of shock graced her face, Sans hurled his hand down, throwing Anna to the snow with a _SMACK_. Her head took most of the impact. _How unfortunate._

Papyrus yelped. "OH… OH MY," The kid leapt over the snow and rushed to her sister's side. Sans slowly approached too, meeting Papyrus's worried expression with a somewhat smug one. "IS SHE-?"

Anna rolled onto her side, a group of gurgle coughs escaping her as her eyes fluttered and squinted. She was quickly losing consciousness, if Sans was to guess.

"see kid, told ya' she'd **_fall_** for the boss in no time." He quipped before worriedly glancing to Paps.

Clearly too preoccupied with the current situation, Paps didn't yell. Instead, he simply groaned. "SANS…"

"Is she gonna be okay?" Frisk whimpered, guilt clear across her face.

"don't sweat it, kiddo. she'll be a'ight…" He said with a smile. He walked a little closer to Anna, lowering to one knee to catch her fading vision. "aint that right, buttercup?" he purred.

Anna rolled onto her back, taking in the faces of Frisk, Flowey and Papyrus, all standing somewhat concerned over her. "Frisk…?" She breathed. "…you are so grounded…"

Anna's head then rolled back as her eyes closed over. Sans, being the closest, quickly ensured that she was still breathing before looking over the new wound on the back of her head.

"IS SHE ALRIGHT, SANS?" Papyrus snivelled. "SMALL HUMAN, I SWEAR! I- I NEVER MEANT TO…"

Sans wrapped his arms around Anna's waist and legs before lifting her and turning to his brother. "s' a'ight bro. we know ya didn't wanna hurt her. but, we should get her inside. she's uh… she's gonna need some healin'."

Papyrus nodded before placing a hand on Frisk's back. "Come Small One." He spoke softly, "We Should All Head Inside Now."

Frisk nodded and headed into the brothers' house nearby. Sans followed behind, looking down at Anna's face. When she was unconscious, you could have no idea that she was such a frustrating bitch. "sorry princess." He said, quietly. "but I did try to warn ya."

He entered the house and laid Anna onto the soft, green couch. As he made sure that her positioning was not causing her any more pain, Frisk cleared her throat.

"M-Mr Papyrus?" She stuttered, "I'm- I'm really sorry about Anna. She doesn't mean to seem so… harsh… She's just… trying to look after me."

Papyrus seemed dumbfounded. "Child. What Is Your Name?"

"Frisk?" She answered, with more of a question than an answer.

"Frisk. There Is No Need To Apologize On Behalf Of Your Sibling. She Was Within Her Rights. I Will Not Hold It Against Her."

Frisk nodded with a smile. She then turned her attention back to Anna. "What now?" she asked.

Sans stood from the couch. "me an' the boss can patch her up. then i guess we gotta try an' talk to her. don't think either of us wanna get ya hurt here, kid. right boss?"

Papyrus nodded vigorously. "INDEED. THIS HUMAN HAS PROVEN HERSELF TO MY BROTHER AND I. I THINK WE CAN ACCEPT HER AS AN ALLY. AND THERE IS NO WAY SOMEONE LIKE HER WOULD TURN DOWN AN AMAZING ALLY SUCH AS I."

Sans shrugged. "yeah. somethin' like that."

Frisk seemed to think for a moment. She then glanced over her shoulder to her backpack. "Flowey, do _you_ think she's gonna be mad when she wakes up?"

Flowey shook his head. "No. I _know_ she'll be _beyond_ mad when she wakes up."

Frisk nodded and turned back to the skeletons. "I think you're gonna have to tie her up."

Jesus Christ, did Anna feel stiff. She groaned as she woke, choosing to keep her eyes closed to shield her headache from the light. She really needed to stop falling down. When did the snow get so soft and warm?

"mornin' dollface."

Anna's eyes shot open as she jumped up. However, the newly acquired bindings around her arms and legs obstructed her, and she found herself face down on the floor. Again. She looked up from the carpet to the almost gleeful bastard standing above her.

"have a nice trip?"

Anna quickly looked at the ropes holding her in place. "You are one sick fuck." She growled. "Where the fuck am I?!"

"Anna!" Frisk barked as she entered the room with Papyrus. "That's two for the swear-jar!"

"Frisk?! What's going on?! Get this shit off me!"

"That's three!" She yelled, crossing her arms. "Now be quiet and just… just listen for a minute."

Anna snarled through her teeth in an animalistic fashion for a moment, then reluctantly relented. Obviously, her deluded angel of a sister had teamed up with the monsters, and she would be going nowhere soon. "Three minutes."

Frisk nodded before sinking onto the carpet with her legs in a basket. "Like I told you before, everyone down here is actually really nice once you give them a chance. Mr Papyrus even took me for nice-cream earlier!"

"Where's the point, Frisk?"

Frisk sighed, frustrated. "My _point_ is, they actually want to help us get out. But you have to listen!" Anna huffed but nodded for her to continue. "Asgor's not the only dangerous one out there, but if you make friends with the right people, we'll be able to make it all the way to the barrier, and maybe even convince the King to let us ago. Apparently he was really nice once. However, there will be lots of people after your soul, so you have to know how to convince them."

Anna lowered her eyelids in an unimpressed manor. "Or, I could just shoot them."

"and how's that plan been workin' so far?" Sans interjected, earning him a fierce scowl. "look sweetheart, we don't really wanna see the last of the monsters wiped out by some maniac and her gun. so, unless you're gonna play nice, you don't get to play at all."

Anna pushed her torso off the ground and ungraciously fell into a sitting position. "So, you're just gonna keep me here?!"

"THAT, OR HAND YOU TO CAPTAIN UNDYNE." Papyrus added. "WE ARE RISKING A LOT TO KEEP YOU FROM HER. I HOPE YOU REALISE THIS."

Anna stopped. They were? Why? Did they forget that she had just tried to kill one of them or something?

"I DO NOT WISH TO SEE THE SMA- FRISK, INJURED. I WILL PERMIT YOU TO CONTINUE ON YOUR QUEST UNDER STRICT CONDITIONS THAT WILL ENSURE HER SAFETY."

Anna sighed. That's all she really wanted, right? And if Papyrus was truly prepared to risk his oh so important image to take Frisk for fucking _ice cream_ of all things, surely, she could trust him, right?

"Alright. What do you suggest?" She offered as calmly as she could manage.

"NUMBER ONE. FRISK WILL REMAIN HERE. I WILL PROTECT HER UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE AN ARRANGEMENT WITH ASGOR. SHOULD HE ALLOW HER TO PASS THROUGH SAFELY, I WILL ESCORT HER TO YOU."

She winced. She didn't like the idea of leaving Frisk alone with a stranger. However, if she where to take her and find more danger, she would end up sending her back through Snowdin _alone._ An escort was unfortunately the wiser choice.

"Fine. What else?"

"NUMBER TWO. YOU WILL PROMISE TO DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO AVOID VIOLENCE. THIS IS A MISSION OF PEACE. NOT DESTRUCTION."

"Yeah, yeah. sure."

"NUMBER THREE. YOU WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE FLOWER. IF YOU BEGIN TO SQUABBLE OR BREAK AN AGREEMENT, HE WILL REPORT BACK TO ME, AND FRISK SHALL BE TAKEN TO YOUR ORIGINAL SAFE HOUSE WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT."

Anna chuckled dryly. "Squabble? Is that what you call a fight down here?"

"ACTUALLY. THAT IS NUMBER FOUR. YOU WILL ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY MY BROTHER, SANS."

"What?!" Anna shrieked. "Why the fuck is he coming?!"

Frisk groaned loudly. "That's four now, Anna!"

"i'm comin' cus ya can't be trusted to keep condition 2. an' your little flower pal aint gonna be much use in stopping ya if ya change your mind."

"No. No way. Not happening." She huffed.

Sans chuckled. "aw, you're cute when you're pissed. guess I get ta jus' keep ya here. like a pet or something."

Anna snarled again. "Can I please kill this guy at least?" She begged Frisk. "C'mon, who's gonna miss him?!"

"NO!" Both Frisk and Flowey yelled together.

Sans stepped closer. "aw, c'mon buttercup. ya know if ya kill me, you'll jus' miss me too much, an' the you'll wanna bring me back."

Anna lowered her brow. "Not even to kill you twice."

Papyrus cleared his throat…bone… "DO WE HAVE A DEAL OR NOT, HUMAN?!"

Anna sighed. Leave Frisk with a towering nutcase and make friends with a giant cave full of psychopaths, all while being watched by a talking flower and an undead sleaze ball, or live as a fucking pet for said sleaze ball. Shit.

"Fine. You got a shitty, shitty deal."


End file.
